


Acedia: Depression of the Soul

by Kuroyuki_Kokuyoku



Series: Sorry, Not Sorry [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chef Harry Potter, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, F/M, Gen, Hadrian has a sassy mouth, Harry Potter Changes His Name, Harry Potter Leaves the Wizarding World, Harry loses his Magic, Hedwig is Queen, Hermione Granger Bashing, I forgot to mention that there will be discussions about LGBT+, I just use variations of John/Jane Doe, M/M, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Name Changes, Nameless OCs - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ron Weasley Bashing, Sporadic Updates, Tags May Change, Varia Cloud Officer!Hadrian, attempts at worldbuilding, but gains Cloudy-Sky Flames, canon characters more or less becoming OC, he's more of an opportunistic leech than the majority of Slytherins he proclaims them to be, her hubris will be her downfall, lol Hadrian keeps getting fired or quitting, so turn away if that's not your cup of tea, that's why her unofficial codename is Empress, the humor in this fic is Varia morbid, well sorta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-05-13 21:27:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14756610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuroyuki_Kokuyoku/pseuds/Kuroyuki_Kokuyoku
Summary: IT'S HERE~! The reboot of Acedia~ I hope all of you enjoy what I've done~





	1. Break Away I

**Author's Note:**

> HIYO, I’M BAAAAAAACCCCKKKK~!!!!
> 
> This is a revised version of the original Acedia. To be honest, after rereading my fic, I’ve found myself cringing at some parts because of not only how horrible I’ve portrayed the characters. The whole storyline was rushed, and don’t get me started on the character interactions and portrayals. Things just...didn’t sit right to leave it as it is. I honestly felt like I had just taken Hadrian and turned him into a Mary-Sue archetype in the world of KHR. That was my mistake. Instead of allowing the plot to affect Hadrian, he instead affected the plot. The narrative shouldn’t revolve solely on him and how important he is to furthering the story.
> 
> Anyways with that little rant out of the way, I hope you all enjoy this new version. And remember, please don’t hesitate to review. I would love to hear about your thoughts on the reboot, and feel free to point out any inconsistencies you feel I need to fix. Thank you so much for your love and support, everyone~!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own anything from the franchises, Katekyo Hitman Reborn and Harry Potter.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Screw Magic! Screw the Wizarding World! You're on your own!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIYO, I’M BAAAAAAACCCCKKKK~!!!!
> 
> This is a revised version of the original Acedia. To be honest, after rereading my fic, I’ve found myself cringing at some parts because of not only how horrible I’ve portrayed the characters. The whole storyline was rushed, and don’t get me started on the character interactions and portrayals. Things just...didn’t sit right to leave it as it is. I honestly felt like I had just taken Hadrian and turned him into a Mary-Sue archetype in the world of KHR. That was my mistake. Instead of allowing the plot to affect Hadrian, he affected the plot. The narrative shouldn’t revolve solely on him and how important he is to furthering the story.
> 
> Anyways with that little rant out of the way, I hope you all enjoy this new version. And remember, please don’t hesitate to review. I would love to hear about your thoughts on the reboot, and feel free to point out any inconsistencies you feel I need to fix. Thank you so much for your love and support, everyone~! .+(〃ﾉωﾉ)ﾟ.+°
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own anything from the franchises, Katekyo Hitman Reborn and Harry Potter.

One year. Just one year. Just one calm, peaceful year where the most he had to worry about was his infatuation for Cho rather than making sure he stayed alive long enough to take his final exams. Was that too much to ask? Evidently, the Wizarding World thought it was.

_ HARRY POTTER!!! _

The moment his name came out of the Goblet of Fire, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Harry knew that his fate was sealed. Bad enough that he was forced to participate as the Fourth Triwizard Tournament Champion. Surely, things couldn’t get any worse? Once again, his thoughts were proven wrong.

"…So, how'd you do it?" Ron stiffly asked Harry once they made it to their dorm. His cold, blue eyes locked onto Harry’s. The redhead gave the other boy a glare he normally reserved for Slytherins. As though he was the lowest being he’d ever met.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked as he slowly got ready for bed.

The taller teen gave him an ugly scowl. "I mean, how'd you trick the Goblet? Was it the Invisibility Cloak? Did you get Hermione to teach you a new spell from the Restricted Section? Or maybe you bribed a Seventh Year? What’d you do to sneak your way into the Tournament?"

"But I didn't  _ do _ anything! Someone else planted my name in the Goblet without me knowing! You should know! You were always there! The only times you weren’t with me was whenever I went to use  _ the loo _ !" Harry protested.

Ron scoffed at Harry’s protests. "Yeah right. So it's not enough for you to just be the almighty Boy-Who-Lived, eh? You heard Dumbledore. Eternal glory and a 1000 Galleons reward. Who wouldn’t want any of that?" The red-haired teen bitterly spat out.

" _Me!_ I don’t want any part of the Tournament!” The shorter wizard began pleading to the redhead helplessly as he tried to get Ron to listen, “Ron! Listen to me! I _don't_ _want_ to be in the tournament! People have died in the Tasks, so someone’s using the Tournament as an excuse to get me kil-"

" _ Save it! _ I don't want to hear anything else from your traitorous mouth.” Ron interrupted his former friend with a disgusted look. “I should've seen this coming! After all, you’re always putting me and 'Mione in danger in all our adventures. But that’s good, right? The bigger the danger, the more attention you’ll get from everyone. Even better if lives are on the line because you get off of the thrill of almost dying. I’ve put up with it ‘cause you’re my best mate, but I’m so sick and tired of it. I never minded you dragging me into your mess, but this time, you’ve betrayed me, Harry. I’m done with you! Piss off, you self-centered  _ freak _ !" The taller teen ranted at Harry. Ron then turned his back on the other boy and threw himself on his bed with a loud thump, completely ignoring the implications of what had just happened between them. He had just done and said something to Harry that he could never take back.

Meanwhile, Harry’s world had shattered. The redhead's cruel declaration had hurt him in a way that he had never felt before. The young wizard felt like he was either drowning, slowly dying from a lack of air, or perhaps a mixture of both. He couldn't really tell, but his chest felt so painfully cold, it was like being stabbed through the chest by an ice-cold blade.

But just when the suffocating feeling was about to overwhelm his senses, he felt something break in his mind. As if he had spent his whole life wearing a pair of foggy glasses and just realized that all he needed was to clean the lens in order to see properly, for the first time, the Boy-Who-Lived started thinking with a clarity that he never knew he had been missing.

"Um…Harry? Are you okay?" Neville’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Snapping back to reality, Harry mumbled a confirmation. Ignoring everything else after that, the young Wizard went towards his bed and climbed under the covers. "…I see… so that's how you feel...how all of you feel..." the black-haired teen muttered mostly to himself.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

By midnight, almost everyone in the room was asleep. Neville Longbottom, for the life of him, just couldn’t. For some reason, he couldn’t shake off a feeling of uneasiness. A part of him wanted to go and comfort Harry after that vicious row with Ron, but a larger part of him whispered in his ear telling him to give the other boy his space. Reluctantly, he turned away and left Harry alone.

Up in the Gryffindor Tower Sixth-Year dormitories, Fred and George Weasley briefly paused their late-night experiments and frowned in unison. Their big brother instincts told them that Ron had done something incredibly stupid again. Normally, they would simply brush it off as it was typically minor enough to be resolved in no time. However, Ron must have really fucked things up with Harry this time around. Yet, oddly enough, they couldn’t bring themselves to feel the tiniest bit of sympathy towards their youngest brother.

High above inside the Ravenclaw Tower, Luna Lovegood felt a sense of apprehension settle within the very depths of her being. Whipping her head around, she stared through the walls in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower. What had happened that made her King so distressed?

Deep within the depths of the Slytherin Dungeons, Draco Malfoy felt restless. Something was going to happen, but what? Out of nowhere, he felt the urge to punch someone in the nose. For a moment, he fantasized doing just that to Weasley, but he quickly squashed the feeling down. A Malfoy should not lower himself to such a barbaric method of retaliation. Tired of waiting around for sleep that would never come, he took out a book on Alchemy and continued reading where he left off.

That night, none of aforementioned teens got a wink of rest.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

The next morning found a dorm room completely devoid of the presence of Harry Potter. His bed was neatly made as though the fourteen-year-old boy had never slept in it. All of his belongings, including his pet owl’s cage, were gone. The only thing left behind was the splintered remains of a holly and phoenix feather core wand, piled neatly on top of his pillow. When questioned, not a single person had heard or seen anyone leave the Gryffindor Tower, let alone a lone teenaged Wizard.

Initially, the Hogwarts faculty voiced their concerns but otherwise didn’t do anything, rationalizing that Harry would eventually be found sooner or later once he’d had enough of his alone time. Then, when a week passed without a single trace of the young Wizard, panic soon ensued. Everyone began scouring every available room in Hogwarts. They even combed through Hogsmeade and the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest just to be safe. After a few days, they gave up and decided to leave the matter alone. The boy was not unlike a cat, coming and going from the public eye as he pleased. After all, where else could Harry Potter go? He was magically bound to participate in the Triwizard Tournament under the threat of losing his magic.

As the date of the First Task drew closer and closer, the Hogwarts professors grew more and more anxious with every passing day that Harry Potter remained absent from his classes. Rumors and speculations spread rapidly as Rita Skeeter eagerly churned out article after article about the boy’s possible whereabouts as well as capitalizing on any juicy rumors surrounding the elusive Boy-Who-Lived.

Hermione Granger would frequently complain about how her "friend" was busy sulking somewhere after a “petty spat”. When asked about how she felt about Harry’s disappearance, she would complain about Harry’s “irresponsibility” over not taking his education seriously. Since Harry’s disappearance, the young Witch seemed to have gotten even more overbearing, especially when it came to class assignments and school rules. In one notable instance, the Fourth-Year caused a First Year to have a panic attack after she viciously berated the younger student for wearing clothing opposite of their gender.

Ronald Weasley, on the other hand, would boast to anyone who would listen about how his "best mate" had always been a “coward”, and if it wasn't for him, Harry Potter wouldn't have made it out alive in any of their misadventures. Needless to say, the red-haired Wizard took to his new fame like he would to an entire roast pig. Details were embellished, facts were exaggerated, and Harry’s actions were cut, replaced, or even glossed over entirely in favor of Ron’s “superior” accomplishments.

On November thirtieth, the dreaded First Task finally began. However, there was still no sign of the Fourth Champion. No need to worry, everyone had thought at the time. There was still plenty of time. As long as the boy showed up for the Tournament, it didn’t matter how late he was. After all, he could always go last. However, Harry Potter never appeared after all three of the true Triwizard Champions had their turn, so the judges decided to give Harry Potter no points for not participating when it was his time. Everyone then decided to wait patiently for the boy to finally come out of wherever he had been hiding so they could give him the disappointing news (and several detentions for his childish tantrum).

So they waited. And waited. And waited. And waited...

They waited until the sun went down. By then, most of the spectators had already gone home. Once midnight struck, the First Task had officially ended... _ yet there wasn’t a single sign of Harry James Potter anywhere _ .

Where was he?! Where was their Boy-Who-Lived?! Chaos ensued over the teenaged wizard's wellbeing. In order to placate the public in some way, Minister Cornelius Fudge (at the insistence of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore) ordered a nationwide manhunt hoping to locate their Savior and bring him to the Ministry of Magic for his own safety.

Even Dumbledore couldn’t afford to do nothing. Shortly after the end of the First Task, he reactivated the previously disbanded Order of the Phoenix in hopes that they would be the one to locate Harry first before the Ministry and/or Death Eaters sink their claws into the young impressionable Wizard. He had many of the Old Guard return as well as several new members join in an effort to help find the missing child. 

The common (and desperate) consensus was that it wasn’t too late. If they could locate him before the end of Triwizard Tournament, there was a chance that he'd still have his magic once they get the boy to participate in one of the remaining task. But the days passed without a single lead on Harry Potter’s location, then weeks, then months. The Yule Ball came and went as did the Second Task until finally, the Third Task ended, bringing an end to the Triwizard Tournament with Cedric Diggory earning a bittersweet victory for Hufflepuff and Hogwarts.

Their Boy-Who-Lived remained MIA throughout it all.

Eventually, after so many unsuccessful searches, the Aurors were forced to give up. It was presumed that Harry Potter had long since perished by now. After all, a wizard losing his magic was a fate worse than death. Even if the boy had miraculously survived, there was no way a barely-trained Hogwarts student could possibly survive on his own without his magical core. All around the United Kingdom and parts of Western Europe, Witches and Wizards mourned the loss of their Boy-Who-Lived. In memory of their precious Savior, a headstone was erected beside his parents’ grave in Godric's Hollow.

The British Wizarding World was never the same.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

Albus Dumbledore was becoming a desperate man. All of his plans for Harry were in complete ruins. Where had he gone wrong? He knew that this year wouldn’t be easy for Harry, and it was supposed to...

The Triwizard Tournament was meant to kill two owls with one spell: forcing Harry to realize the severity of the upcoming war and giving Tom an opportunity to rise again. This year was also meant to further tie the bonds between Harry and his “best friends,” thus allowing Albus to tighten his leash over the boy.

What he didn’t factor in, however, was the boy’s spontaneous impulse to run away. It was a mistake that cost Albus his most important chess piece, and in turn lessened Ronald and Hermione’s value. Albus had anticipated that Ronald’s jealousy would get the better of him, and he had been counting on it. The short break would make Ron realize Harry’s true value in his life, but it would also make Hermione desperate to keep the status quo in their dynamic: Harry relying on his “friends” for companionship and his “friends” benefiting from him in exchange. In turn, their dependency would be heightened, making it easier for Albus to take advantage of that “bond”. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder, but very susceptible to the right manipulations.

But those plans began crumbling to pieces the morning after the selection of the Champions.

Unfortunately, the loss of Harry also lost him support from key members in the Order of the Phoenix: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, William Weasley, Charles Weasley, and surprisingly enough, Severus Snape (though to be fair, the Potions Master had made his true allegiance clear from the very beginning. What loyalty he had towards Albus only held so long as he could guarantee the safety of Lily’s son, which was already a moot point).

Also, his relationship with the remaining members and allies of the Order were heavily strained at best, outright distrust at worst. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Amelia Bones, and Augusta Longbottom were only willing, albeit with a strong dose of suspicion and wariness, to join his organization because they foresaw that were no others willing to do anything to fight against the Dark.

However, there was a silver lining in all of this. The Prophecy was still active.

This could only mean that Neville Longbottom had actually been the real Chosen One all along…

(...Or perhaps Harry was still alive after all, but that notion was quickly discarded. The boy’s survival was impossible since what little information he was able to access from the Goblins confirmed that Harry James Potter no longer existed in this world.)

In other words, Harry was truly dead. The Goblins would never lie, so any hopes on creating an event surrounding the Boy-Who-Lived making a comeback died a disappointing death.

Albus has no other choice but to resort to his contingency plans for Neville. With the way the Longbottom boy currently was, it would take some work. Should all go well, then Neville’s efforts and sacrifices would fuel the Greater Good for the Wizarding World for the next few decades, maybe even centuries.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

About two thousand miles away, Hadrian Temperanza’s plane entered the Lamezia Terma International Airport. Humming cheerfully, he remained blissfully ignorant of the chaos he left behind after he changed his name and moved to Italy.

* * *

Omake I: The Inheritance Scene No One Asked For

In Gringotts, if a client wished to view any updates on their economic status in the Wizarding World, they were required to submit a blood sample to not only verify their identity but also to reveal any other additional concerns that needed to be addressed. The amount of blood needed varied depending on the amount of information made available.

One day, a young Wizard named Harry James Potter snuck out of Hogwarts in the dead of night and made his way to Gringotts. But when he requested to check out his inheritance, nobody expected the following to occur the way it did.

“How long do I have to bleed?” Harry complained as he held his gushing hand over the parchment.

“Until the words stop appearing,” Griphook snapped, brushing the growing length off of his desk. The massive heap tumbled down on to the floor and slowly began to cover the carpet.

“I’ve already been at this for the last half hour. I don’t think it’s healthy for me to lose this much blood.” The parchment was enchanted to soak up the client’s blood and use the traces of Magic in the “ink” to churn out the necessary information, expanding as it goes. It could map out names, financial statements, family history, etc. For Griphook’s current client, Harry had  _ a lot _ of information to offer.

“Fine,” Griphook growled as he reached in his desk drawer, pulled out a vial containing a crimson colored liquid, and slammed it down in front of Harry. “Here’s a Blood Replenishing Potion. I’ll deduct the cost from one of your Vaults. Seeing as that payment is the last thing you’ll ever be worried about for the rest of your life considering your inheritance,” he dryly commented, eyeing the still growing pile of parchment.

“You know what would be bloody fantastic right now? If I could _ stop inheriting _ ,” Harry retorted, gesturing wildly with his free hand. “Look at this parchment! It’s already long enough to reach the other end of the room. I don’t even know any of these people! Why do some of these names look like they came out of a fanfiction website?!”

In the end, it took a total of forty-four hours, six Blood Replenishing Potions, and three rooms before the parchment finally stopped growing. Once it did, Harry all but begged Griphook on his hands and knees to help him with his finances.

The young Wizard’s situation allowed the Goblin to invoke Gringotts’s Gary Stu Clause, which not only piled all of the world’s wealth into a pocket dimension called the Gate of Babylon but also gave him an infinite amount of liberties to do whatever the hell he wanted whenever the hell he wanted.

The first thing Harry did with his newfound freedom was to go traveling, starting with being escorted to Japan by the Armed Detective Agency. Later he accidentally enrolled himself at the Ouran Elite Private Academy and ended up amassing a harem of hot Youkai girls and gaining a dragon maid wife. Upon graduation, he became known as the King of Games, Kira, and the Yonjyuuyondaime (Forty-fourth) Hokage. Then using his newfound Shinigami and Magi powers, he and his Pokemon slaves and Digimon cannon fodder traveled to another dimension to claim the legendary One Piece treasure in order to master all the elements. Along the way, he seduced the Sailor Scouts, massacred all the Grimm and Titans, upgraded his wardrobe to 1000% Life Fibers, defeated a yellow octopus with one punch, went on a walk with The Crimson Fucker, summoned a demon named Sebastian using his Gourmet Cells, transformed into a Super Mega-Ultra Spectacular Miraculous Fabulous Fantastic Amazing Spontaneous Super Saiyan, and became the six hundred and sixty-sixth Symbol of Peace.

And thus ends the tale of Kirito- I mean, Sakamoto-kun.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

_ Birth Name: Harry James Potter _

_ Parents: James Charles Potter (father), Lily Jeanne Potter née Evans (mother) _

_ Immediate Living Blood Relatives: Petunia Lane Dursley née Evans (maternal aunt), Dudley Dursley (maternal cousin, underage) _

_ Godparents: Sirius Orion Black (paternal godfather, distant paternal cousin, pending claim), Severus Tobias Snape (maternal godfather, dormant validity), Alice Elda Longbottom (maternal godmother, claim rendered invalid), Kuroyuki Kokuyoku (unsuitable guardian, claim rejected), Kali Kaposki the 1325th Head of the Black Cat Clan (unsuitable guardian, claim rejected) _

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_ Black Family Vaults (partial Right, limited access as Heir Apparent) _

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_ Potter Trust Vault (full access until Age of Majority) _

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_ Vaults by Right of Conquest: _

_ Gilderoy Lockheart (full access) _

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For my readers, both new and old, if you’re wondering what changes I made or will make comparing to the previous version, then please read on.
> 
> In this chapter, I not only tweaked the conversation between Ron and Harry but also added a few more scenes, specifically the ones featuring Neville, the twins, Luna, and Draco. Since most of you are already aware that my version of Harry is a Cloudy-Sky, I figured I’d reveal who his future Guardians will be earlier this time. I also added Dumbledore’s POV so I can establish him as an unapologetic Manipulative!Dumbledore.
> 
> So a few major changes in the overarching story, particularly how I’ve portrayed Hadrian in the original. I meant to write out Hadrian’s character as someone who no longer allows himself to be shackled by anything. His gender identity is symbolic of not conforming to anyone’s standards but his own (it’s also not just the whole male/female binary but also right vs. wrong, Light vs. Dark, Wizard vs. Muggle, etc.). At the time, I thought that writing him as agender might convey that and I still feel that it should. But looking back, there was no self-discovery, no build-up, no progression. It’s like he just woke up one day and realized that “Hey, screw struggling to figure out who I am! I don’t identify with any gender!” NO! Just no! I was doing a disservice to agender people by portraying him that way. (Thank you for those who called me out on the awkward portrayal. You have no idea how much those reviews have helped me.)
> 
> Then we have his friendship with Lussuria. SWEET MOTHER OF PRIMO!! I missed out on a golden opportunity to develop Hadrian’s sexuality and gender identity through his interactions with Luss! They had been friends for months prior to the Varia’s first appearance. MONTHS! And what did I have them do during that sizable time period? Nothing. I just glossed it over like it didn’t mean anything when it should’ve been something.
> 
> Another thing I’ve changed about Hadrian is his personality. Prepare yourself for SassyasFuck!Hadrian because the previous version was a little too “try hard” and creatively restrictive.
> 
> I hope the beginning of what I call the Break Away Arc was entertaining. The chapters leading up to the Varia Arc will be longer and will have more meat on them. Things will be slow from now on, but this is me taking the time to better develop my story as well as getting my life together IRL.
> 
> You have no idea how long the omake section took me to complete (after going through the entire review section, I gave up doing the same to the favorites and follows because there are just too many names). This omake is essentially me wanting to give you all a shout-out for all the love you’ve given to Acedia. For your convenience, Will=Followers, Sponsorship=Favorites, Donation=Reviews, Tribute=Community.
> 
> So yeah, this is a parody of what happens to Harry in Chapter 2 of Acedia. Definitely had a lot of fun with this one.
> 
> 6/3/2018 Edit: So I'm getting a lot of questions about where I'm going with this fic. Now I'm not saying what specific aspect but...(you know what I'm talking about...) ...So anyways, I've put up something like a "FAQ" section on my profile. I'll add more questions as I go or even add more info onto my current answers if necessary. So please come check that out too if you like.
> 
> 7/4/2018 Edit: Now betaed by blackkat1325. Thanks for all the time and effort you’ve put into this~! Fixed all the grammar issues and added a few things.


	2. Break Away II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud fails at life and then meets the Sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know…Kuroyuki is surprisingly still alive. A mixture of real life, me taking my time writing this out, and procrastination prevents me from updating more often. 
> 
> Before I forget, shoutout to my friends over on Discord for helping me formulate the panic attack scene and this omake. Your advice and suggestions have really helped me~ And another shout-out to blackkat1325 for being my beta~ I love and appreciate your patience and hard work~! Thanks for everything! (＾ω＾)

_ “Someone get a Mediwizard in here immediately!” _

_ “Merlin’s saggy balls! How long has he been like this?” _

_ “We’re losing him! I don’t know what’s wrong. At this rate, his body will shut down, and he’ll die!” _

_ “His Magical Core! Something’s just drained his Magic dry! There’s not a drop of it left!” _

_ “It’s the Goblet of Fire! Magic is punishing her Champion!” _

_ “It’s too late. The boy will be dead before sunrise.” _

_ “Is it done?” _

_ “Wait! His Magical Core is acting up again! It’s…? He’s fighting back??!!” _

_ “...Is that…? That fire… It can’t be… Is it truly Soulfire?” _

Hadrian suddenly jolted awake from his dream. His heart was pounding loudly in his ears, and his sheets were completely drenched in his sweat. Breathing heavily, he struggled to calm himself down.

He wasn’t able to go back to sleep that night. The agonizing feeling of what happened to him was still fresh in his mind.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

On the twenty-fifth of November, Hadrian had suddenly collapsed in the middle of his negotiations with the Gringotts Goblins. He didn't remember much of what happened, but from what he was told, he had been teetering between life and death for almost a whole week as his body struggled to function. Every last ounce of Magic was drained away from his Magical Core, leaving him to slowly and painfully die as a result. This was his punishment for not fulfilling his Magical Contract with the Goblet of Fire.

However, despite the odds, Hadrian had survived. His previously empty Core immediately sprang back to life. The foreign energy had filled up the gaps left behind by Magic, though it caused a few noticeable changes to his body.

When he finally came to in the Gringotts guest room, the teen had almost panicked when he saw purple fire coming from his forehead and his vivid green eyes gaining a glowing orange-purple ring around the pupils. The Goblins took samples of the fire and tested them. They later concluded that in a bid for survival, his Core had forced him to awaken a type of Lost Magic to make up for the lack of Magic, Soulfire Aspects.

Hadrian didn’t know what a “Soulfire Aspect” was, but luckily the Goblins had a book on the subject, a long forgotten collection of research notes by a woman named Lavinia Lockheart, whom Hadrian would later find out was an ancestor by marriage of a certain fraud of a DADA professor. (Of course, the rental fee on such a rare book was anything but cheap. Those greedy little bastards.) Judging by the color of the fire, Hadrian more or less fell under the category of the “Amethyst Soul Shade” classification, however, there was no explanation for why there was the occasional flicker of a lighter color within the purple-tinted flames. In the end, the Goblins chalked it up as a side effect of his newly-Awakened Soulfire.

According to the book, Soulfire Aspects came in seven different types of Soul Shades: amber, ruby, turquoise, topaz, emerald, amethyst, and sapphire.

Sapphire Soul Shades were the most common. Those who had this Aspect were more compatible with Transfiguration. Shrewd and cunning, these type of people were the type to strike when you least expected them to.

Topaz Soul Shades made very effective Healers. It was rather common for them to be excitable and passionate people.

Ruby Soul Shades were first and foremost warrior-born. They came off strong and intense even when they were not practicing their Hexes.

Emerald Soul Shades may be quirky individuals, but when push came to shove, they were highly protective. It was no wonder their specialty was Defense Magic.

Turquoise Soul Shades typically had an easier time mastering Jinxes. But contrary to their Magical specialization, they were typically peacemakers and pacifists.

Amethyst Soul Shades were fairly uncommon compared to the other types. A common personality trait among people who fall under this type was that they were viciously independent and territorial individuals. Curses, normally a magically taxing field, were no problem whenever they wanted to use them. 

And lastly, Amber Soul Shades were the rarest of them all. Social and charismatic, they were natural leaders. It wasn’t uncommon for a regional ruler or war general to be an Amber. Typically, Charms were where they excelled when it came to Magic.

Lady Lockheart also added that Wizards were completely unable to awaken this type of magic and utilize them to the extent Muggles and Squibs could. According to her hypothesis, Soulfire was the equivalent of a Wizard's Magical Core, only their pathways didn’t actually contain magic. In fact, Soulfire was actually the mystical manifestation of the individual’s soul. While every person’s soul had an Aspect to fall under, it was impossible for an individual to be both a Magic User and a Soulfire Wielder without suffering heavy repercussions. Adding another power source created cracks on the individual’s Magical Core, not only causing irreparable damage to their bodies but also severely damaging their souls in the process. The strain would eventually kill them within a few months to a decade at most, as their broken bodies eventually succumbed to fatal side effects invoked by their Aspects, and their very soul was painfully whittled away from the overwhelming presence of both supernatural forces.

Due to the dangers it posed to Wizardkind at the time, Soulfire Magic was categorized under the label of Dark Arts a couple of centuries ago by the Ministry of Magic. It was considered to be a branch of highly forbidden Soul Manipulation Magic. Eventually Soulfire Magic faded into obscurity. The only information that was allowed to remain was about Soul Shades, which were mostly used in Divination to determine a someone’s core personality and Magical Affinity but nothing else.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

_ ‘Is my luck really that bad or is it a Curse I picked up somewhere?’ _ Hadrian thought to himself irritably as he reminisced on what just happened.

Changing his name was easy. Learning Italian was easy. Migrating to Italy and moving his inheritance to the Gringotts Italian Branch was time consuming but still easy. Finding and keeping a job, on the other hand… Hadrian was at a total loss.

It wasn't that he wasn’t able afford a house or lacked the ability to get food. On the contrary, thanks to the combined riches he’d inherited, Hadrian, all the way down to his  _ grandchildren _ , could feasibly live a lavish lifestyle without ever needing to work a single day in their lives. However, the teen didn't want to become a spoiled deadbeat, so he decided apply himself.

First, he started off as a cashier at a local fast food restaurant, but within a week, he was quickly let go. According to the manager, his coworker and customers complained that there was something about him that made him "unapproachable." Despite no real evidence of Hadrian being a bad worker per say, the manager felt that it would be better for both parties if Hadrian were to stop working with them.

His next job was at a maid and butler cafe of all things. While Hadrian was out grocery shopping, his looks caught the attention of the owner of a theme cafe that had opened up recently in the neighborhood. At first, he was one of their butler-dressed waiters, assigned with playing the role of a tsundere (whatever that meant). However, he was eventually replaced in favor of a new butler the cafe hired. Not only was the guy an authentic Japanese native, but he also appealed to their customers way better than Hadrian had. (To be honest, Hadrian was actually glad to be fired. There was only so much squealing and ‘MOE~!’ he could take before he had a mental breakdown.)

Disappointed with his luck, Hadrian took a few months break from work by volunteering at a local soup kitchen until he regained the confidence to start job hunting again. His time there got him a lot more than experience to add to his work résumé.

Turned out, some of the homeless, who had seen things best left untold and knew how to tell who was Flame Active, had a lot to say about the Mafia World and how it worked. The Famiglias, the Vongola, Dying Will Flames, Vindice, the Varia, etc. By the time he finally managed to get accepted at his new workplace, the information Hadrian received in exchange for an extra serving or two answered a lot of questions that the Wizarding World couldn’t answer.

His third attempt was as a part-time janitor at a large multinational corporation that served as the legal face of the Vongola, easily the longest job he’d ever held thus far. Everything was more or less fine until an incident occurred that forced him to quit because it was easily the worst thing he'd ever experienced ever since he moved to Italy. 

One evening, Hadrian had just clocked out when all of a sudden, he was accosted by one of his coworkers. The older man proceeded to drag him into a nearby church and bodily threw the young teen at the feet of a confused priest. He started demanding that the dark-haired boy be exorcised to "get rid of his demonic influence and the unnatural presence possessing him."

The priest took one look at Hadrian and immediately gave him a look of sorrow and pity. The priest then tried to calm the God-fearing man down and tell him that Hadrian was just an ordinary person and that there was nothing that could be done. Rather than listening to the holy man’s pleas, the unhinged man blew up and dissolved into a venomous rant about how "an abomination like him deserves to be killed." It wasn't until the man finally uttered the word "freak" that the teen felt a familiar snap in the back of his mind, then everything went black.

When he finally came to, Hadrian found himself standing over the beaten and bloody body of his coworker with his fists covered in the man's blood. One of his arms was being held back by the frightened priest, who was begging him to calm down and stop his assault. Horrified by what he had done, the black-haired young man stiffly turned to the priest and quietly apologized before swinging his still groaning coworker on his back and carrying him to the nearest hospital.

The next day, Hadrian handed in his resignation to his boss and quietly disappeared from their lives.

It wasn't until after the teen was fired from his fourth job that he was able to get some answers to what was going on with him.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

Hadrian Temperanza, aged fifteen as of last month, had managed to find a part-time job as a waiter at the Praepropere, a quaint little restaurant owned by a middle-aged woman. The environment was homey, the food wasn’t bad, and the customers were relatively amicable. Unfortunately, Hadrian should’ve known that with his luck, something was bound to go wrong in some way.

“Get out of my restaurant. You’re fired,” the owner snapped at Hadrian as soon as he walked through the door.

The teen felt a vein pulsating on his temple as his previously good mood instantly soured. It was now the what? fourth? or fifth time he had heard those words. “...Let me guess... Was it because of the douchebag I threw out by the ballsack just the other day? Because if this how you fucking reward your employees for protecting themselves from sexual harassment, then this shitty job is one I’m actually glad to be fired from for once.” Hadrian deadpanned, already sick and tired of the look his current (ex?)boss was giving him.

The older woman sniffed and glowered at the green-eyed teen. “Believe me, my restaurant won’t be losing anything by getting rid of you. And don’t give me the innocent act. I know... _ We all know _ what you  _ really _ are.” 

‘ _ Crap! How did she knew that I used to be a Wizard?! _ ’ Hadrian internally panicked. 

“Abominations like you shouldn’t be around good folks like us. Your kind is better off at the mercy of the Vindice.” 

‘ _ Why the Vindice? I thought the Mafia tries to keep themselves  _ away _ from the Wizarding World. _ ’ 

“I’d even go as far as to say the world will be better if someone finally puts a bullet between your eyes. A merciful fate for those like you than risk infection by keeping you around a bit longer.”

Hadrian growled lowly at her hateful words.  _ Infection? _ Seriously!? Firing him for not being a people-person was one thing, but adding insult to injury by saying that he belongs in the Mafia World’s equivalent of Azkaban was a bit much.

Not even bothering to collect his last paycheck, Hadrian turned around and left the restaurant. Already he could feel a migraine developing. He could use a nap to sleep off today’s stress and frustrations.

Just as he was about to cross an intersection, the man next to him began talking to him. “Oh, you poor, poor thing. That woman was so rude, humiliating you by publicly outing your condition like that. That just shows how low-quality that place is,” he said, his masculine voice accented with an effeminate tonation.

The man talking to the teen was tall and muscular with most of his hair shaved off save for a part in the front, which was dyed green. He had on a pair of tinted, red-rimmed sunglasses and a metal plate on his left knee. But what stood out the most was that he was wearing a recognizable uniform that identified him as a member of the Varia, the Vongola Famiglia's independent elite assassination squad.

“Ciao, dearie~! My name is Lussuria,” the Varia Sun happily greeted the teen and held out his hand.

“Ciao. Hadrian Temperanza. Nice to meet you, I suppose,” he replied and firmly shook Lussuria’s hand.

“You must be upset after being fired from your job in such an uncouth manner, darling. Why don’t I cheer you up by taking you out for an early lunch, my treat,” Lussuria said. From an outsider’s perspective, he sounded like a relatively friendly individual. However, Hadrian could feel restrained eagerness coming from the Sun Officer in waves. The fact that it was coming from the professional assassin spoke how unwise it was to say no to the flamboyant man.

The green-eyed teen sighed heavily. “You’re just going to kidnap me anyways even if I refuse.”

“Actually, I prefer to call it ‘borrowing your person.’ It’s sounds so much better, don’t you think?”

Hadrian let out a loud exasperated groan. He could feel his migraine getting worse. “Of course...the Mafiosi do what they want after all,” he mumbled under his breath. 

...Fuck it all, it’s not like Hadrian had anything better to do at the moment. “I’m craving seafood.”

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

Half an hour later, Hadrian found himself seated at a private table with a glass of wine at a relatively-upscale restaurant with Lussuria who was currently ordering for the both of them. “Do you happen to serve treacle tart for dessert?" Hadrian interjected.

"Yes, we do, Signor," their waiter nodded.

“Ooh~! That sounds just lovely, I’ll have that as well,” Lussuria chirped.

The waiter quickly jotted down the new additions to the order. "Will that be all for you two?"

"For now," Lussuria waved him off. Once the waiter left, the Varia Officer fixed his full attention on Hadrian. "Now, you're probably wondering why I think the Varia would be interested in a civilian like you?"

"That is… one of the many questions running through my mind. Also, before I open that can of worms, why a cutesy nickname like ‘Hari-chan?’" The green-eyed boy said with a miniscule frown. It wasn’t that “Hari-chan” was bad or anything, it was just that it hit a little too close to his former identity.

"Why not? A cute little nickname to suit a little cutie like yourself~!" The Sun Officer cooed. Then he took on a more serious demeanor while keeping an amicable smile so as to not scare the teen off. 

"Anyways, why don’t we cut to the chase? I want to know why an Active Cloud such as yourself feels like a Discorded Element despite not displaying any of the tell-tale symptoms. From what I can tell, you’re Unbonded and you’ve never been Bonded before. Not only that, but your Flames fluctuate erratically, which doesn’t bold well for you either. Healthwise, that is.

“Your Flames are  _ very unique _ , dearie. I wasn’t too sure whether or not I should even approach you, but the moment I shook your hand, I finally had my answer. I decided that the Varia would certainly _ love _ to get to know you better, my little Cloud cutie.” Lussuria finished with a not-so reassuring smile.

Cloud? Oh yeah, his Soulfire Aspect. Here in Italy, the Mafia referred to them by weather phenomenons for some reason.

"If you’re looking for an elaborate explanation, then you might want to get a Flame Doctor or something. Besides I’m technically a civilian even if everything I know about how the Mafia works came from unconventional sources. Doesn’t help that I barely know anything about Flames in the first place." The dark-haired teen replied carefully. “Why are you so curious about me anyways? I highly doubt you talked to me because you wanted a lunch buddy. What? Does it have to do with my Flames or something?”

“It’s a bit of a long story, sweetie, but I’ll try to stick to the basics. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but my Sky has been iced, no thanks to the Nono Vongola. Xanxus had… how should I put this? He had a bit of a temper tantrum after finding out that the Vongola has been infested with a nest of rats. It didn’t help that he had received a bit of bad news a few weeks earlier. When he tried to confront his father, the talks didn’t go well.”

Hadrian narrowed his in suspicion at all the details the older man deliberately left out but decided not to dig deeper. That didn’t stop him from sliding in a dry comment. “Jeez, sounds like a family drama straight out of a soap opera. I still don’t see why the Varia would want anything to do with a civilian you just met on the streets.”

“I’m getting to that.” Lussuria interrupted before continuing. “You see, after Xanxus’s disappearance, we found that most of the aforementioned  _ rats _ could be traced backed to the Varia Cloud Division. Unfortunately, the Nono put his foot down and refused to allow us to, and I quote, ‘needlessly kill those under our command without probable cause.’ He declared that only the Boss could order the extermination of the current Cloud Officer, otherwise a challenger could kill him to take his position for themselves.”

“Let me guess, you want me to be that challenger.” Hadrian confirmed just as their food arrived.

Lussuria gave the teen a girlish giggle and proceeded to gush over the former-Wizard. “Compared to that traitor’s measly wisps of power, you’re a tsunami of potential, and I still haven’t fully examined your Flames in depth.” Taking a sip of his wine, the Varia Sun became serious once more. “However, that bastard hasn’t kept his title as the current Cloud Officer by overpowering his opponents. He learned to be sneaky and underhanded when it comes to getting rid of any power rivals. We don’t just need a stronger Cloud...we also need a smarter one.” 

“And you’re offering to train me up so I can take him down for you and replace him in the process?” Hadrian asked suspiciously, sampling a bite of his capitone in umido (stewed eel in tomato sauce). It needed more sauce if you asked him.

“I like to think that my offer is better than the alternative. Let me paint you a picture. Sooner or later, someone will take notice of how unusually powerful a Cloud you are, assuming that they haven't already tried to force you into something you don’t want. Luckily, I'm here to give you a choice.”

“Not much of a choice from where I’m standing.” Hadrian grumbled unhappily.

Lussuria gave the teen a helpless shrug, but otherwise didn’t deny it.

“By the way, you mentioned earlier about my Flames being ‘distorted’ or whatever. I’m getting the feeling that’s not good, right?”

“Discorded, darling,” Lussuria corrected before adding, “It’s hard for me to explain, but your Flames aren’t in very good shape. I need to get a closer look at you so I can do a rough diagnosis on what’s going on.”

“So, what? You’re going to do a full-body check on me here in the middle of this restaurant?”

“Pretty much~! Don’t worry, dearie, you can keep your clothes on seeing as you’re too much on the small and delicate side to be my type,” Lussuria chirped without batting an eye.

Hadrian immediately choked on his drink. Once he got ahold of himself, he wheezed out, “...I was being sarcastic…”

The older man got up from his seat and danced towards the emerald-eyed teen. Lussuria deftly lifted the chair with Hadrian still on it and spun it so they were face to face.

Lussuria started off with a simple pat-down. Carefully probing with his Flames, he poked and prodded until he located an anomaly around the teen’s head area. Unable to resist, the martial artist briefly took the opportunity to smoosh the young man’s cheeks together, making him let out a sound of protest. Moving on to the cranium, the Varia Officer managed to locate something in Hadrian’s forehead. Spotting the unusual lightning-shaped scar, Lussuria casually poked a finger at it.

Suddenly, the flamboyant man immediately yanked himself back away from the former-Wizard in revulsion. "What kind of  _ sick, twisted  _ person-?! How could this have slipped past the Vindice?! Whoever did this to you should forgo the Vendicare altogether and be chucked straight into the lowest levels of Hell!" Lussuria spat out, his disgust not actually directed at the young man in front of him.

Startled by the man's reaction, Hadrian asked in concern, "What?! What's wrong?!"

The Sun Officer could only give the green-eyed teenager a distressed look before answering, "I’m afraid this is all bad news for you, Hari-chan. Inside that scar on your forehead, I found a fragment of what I think is someone else’s Flames, or what’s left of them. Not only is that thing thoroughly Discorded, but from what my Flames can tell, it's not the first time they've torn their own Flames into pieces and shoved it somewhere outside their body. I think it's probably the fifth or sixth time, but my guess could be off since the fragment is way too small and thoroughly ruined for me to get an accurate read. We’re going to need some heavy duty Flame equipment if we’re ever going to get the full story behind the Flame Shard. I don’t know if that’s the right word for that, but that’s how I’m going to describe it from now on, Hari-chan."

Hadrian felt his spine turn to ice and the blood drain from his face. Horror and realization slowly dawned on his face as the teen's emerald-green eyes were blown wide open. His pupils shrank in terror behind the ugly coke-bottle glasses and his oxygen intake grew less and less.

In a flash, he jumped up to lunge towards Lussuria and grabbed ahold of the man’s lapels with a white-knuckled grip. The force of his actions knocked back his chair and tipped over their table in the process, spilling its contents onto the floor. Hysterically, Hadrian pleaded, "GET IT OUT OF ME! GET IT OUT _ RIGHT NOW _ ! PLEASE! I DON’T WANT THIS THING IN ME FOR ANOTHER SECOND!!!" 

"I can't! If I could, I would be more than happy to! But right now, I can't think of a way to get rid of that little parasite without severely damaging your Flames. In fact, I don't even know if  _ there is  _ a safe way to fix you without risking Discord." Lussuria protested, trying to placate the young man while coaxing his hands to let go of him.

Over and over... All he could think was, ‘ _What the hell?_ _What the hell whatthehellwhatthehellwhatthehell??!!_ ’ He’d had a _bloody piece of Voldemort_ inside of him for _how long_? Was it during his Second Year down in the Chamber? His First? Or maybe the night when Voldemort murdered his parents? He felt dirty and violated. All this time, that _thing_ had been inside his bloody scar for... for _years_ , and he just learned of this now?!

Hadrian didn’t register much after that. He wanted to demand more answers, but for some reason, his voice had failed him. No matter what he tried, his traitorous body refused to listen and let him speak or… or do _ something _ .  _ Anything! _ It was like being caged within in his own mind as he was slowly and painfully fading away.

He could barely hear the Varia Officer gently talking to him over the sound of his blood pounding in his ears. The world around him distorted, darkness was starting to creep into his vision. He couldn’t breathe! Why couldn’t he breathe? The pressure was suffocating. His chest hurt so much. It felt like his heart was trying to escape his chest. A tingling numbness spread throughout his body. He began shaking all over, and at some point, his legs had collapsed underneath him.

It felt like an eternity before Hadrian finally managed to come to his senses. Lussuria’s voice gradually brought him back to reality as the martial artist carefully rubbed his back. The man’s repetitive motion of comfort was just enough to get him to calm down little by little. He was still sobbing pathetically, his head between his knees, sitting on the floor, and his clothes felt uncomfortably sticky from sweating earlier. According to what Lussuria was saying, he had just had a panic attack and needed to breathe on his count. All the while, Hadrian thought,  _ ‘Is that what happened to me?’ _

“Here, Hari-chan, I got you something. You need to get your blood sugar up after a panic attack. It’ll help you recover faster,” the flamboyant Sun advised him gently as he took a glass of what he guessed was a mango fruit smoothie from a passing waiter.

Barely responsive, Hadrian slowly turned his head towards the older man who held out his bright yellow, lacy handkerchief and the offered drink to him. 

“You know, I think Shamal Trident can help you,” Lussuria suggested once the former-Wizard was starring listlessly into his reflection in the fancy drinking glass in his hands.

“...Hm?” The young man questioned.

“He’s a reputable assassin who specializes in diseases, or more specifically Flame Diseases,” the martial artist elaborated. “Don’t let his methods fool you, but he’s one of, if not,  _ the _ best Flame Doctor Italy has ever produced. He’s good enough that the Varia tried to recruit him once or twice. Shame he’s always turned us down,” Lussuria finished with a pout.

“It’s getting late so I should get going, Hari-chan. I’ll pay the bill on my way out so you can take all the time you need to collect your thoughts. Arrivederci, sweet pea.”

And with that, the Varia Sun Officer got up to leave the restaurant, but not before leaving a generous amount of money to cover the damages from their little lunch date. 

However, the martial artist suddenly recalled an important detail he had forgotten to mention to Hadrian. “...Oh dear, I should’ve told Hari-chan that Shamal doesn’t treat men…” Lussuria said to himself as he headed home. “Oh well, I’m sure he’ll be fine~!”

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

Getting away from the suffocating expectations of the Wizarding World was the best decision he’d ever made. Sure, he had to give up his Magic forever in the process, but the chains that once threatened to choke out his individuality were gone. However, in sacrificing his identity as a Wizard for his freedom, he also felt like he had also lost something vital in the process.

Even though he was now free to do whatever he wished with his life, he couldn’t help but feel… Listless... Empty.

It felt like there was a big gaping hole in the depths of his heart that kept him from truly being satisfied. His gut instinct told him that it wasn’t a side effect of losing his magic but something much deeper. Hadrian knew that he was searching for something, but the problem was he had no idea what it was that he was searching for.

His slump had only gotten worse ever since a certain Varia member told him about the fragment of Voldemort living rent-free on his forehead deformity. That was about a month ago.

“Hari-chan~! Ciao, long time no see~! How have you been since I last saw you?” Lussuria cooed.

Speak of the devil...

Hadrian gave the flamboyant Sun a tired wave and complained, “I still have a piece of my parents’ murderer stuck in my head, I only got about three hours of sleep last night, and I’m on my way to beg for that androphobic, disease-ridden quack to take me on.”

Not that the older man got a good look at the former-Wizard, the young man looked a bit under the weather. “Ooh, not very well then,” he commented sympathetically. 

“I am this close to turning him into an eunuch in his sleep, force feeding him his own testicles, and shoving his dick up his ass.”

“Why don’t you just check out the other Flame Doctors?” Lussuria pointed out.

“I did. Of all the doctors in the world, there are only seven who even have the basic requirements to perform the Flame Surgery to get this thing out of me without killing me and/or being forced to kill me,” Hadrian continued explaining. “Two of them are Storms (which will cause problems because of how delicate the procedure is and how they will conflict with my Cloud Flames), three are already a part of a Famiglia (the last thing I want is to be forced to join one as payment for the treatment), one has the knowledge but recently lost the necessary skills to perform after a bad fight, and the last one was reported to have been seen traveling around the UK, which is already a deal breaker (I didn’t move to Italy just so I would get dragged back to that backwards hellhole of a community).

“You’re really British? That explains a few things, like your accent and your background check,” Lussuria clarified.   

Hadrian lifted an eyebrow at that. “What’d you find out?”

“Word of advice, Hari-chan. When you’re constructing a believable false identity, try adding a bit of truth here and there if you can’t afford to keep up the act indefinitely. The way your profile was set up wouldn’t look too out of place for a native Sicilian. However, you obviously aren’t. Everything from the way you act down to how you look practically screams foreigner. The work done to construct your background is impressive, but the way you’ve pulled it off is so mediocre, it’s almost insulting,” Lussuria finished with a displeased pout.

Hadrian couldn’t help but sweatdrop. When he put it that way, it did sounded very suspicious. “...To be fair, I had someone else whip that up for me, and I was planning on living in Italy indefinitely. I guess we didn’t think that someone would investigate one teenaged boy.”

When Gringotts helped him formulate his new identity, he paid them to make his new background “look as natural as possible.” Technically, he got what he asked for so the former-Wizard couldn’t exactly fault the Goblins for not taking paranoid Mafiosi into account.

The Varia Officer then noticed the object his little friend held in his hands. “So, what’s in the basket?”

Hadrian held it up proudly with a gleam in his eyes. “Bribery. Money didn’t work, so now I’m trying to seduce him with my cooking. Hopefully, he likes my most successful attempt at the local cuisine.”

“Will that work?”

“Worth a shot. The man thinks more with his lower organs than the one in his head. With the promise of more goodies, at least I’ll be speaking his language through a different type of hunger.”

“But what will you do if your plan doesn’t work out?” 

Hadrian looked up at Lussuria. His delicate features might as well have been carved in stone, but there was an unsettling glint in those expressive, vivid green eyes. “I’m giving him a week. If he still refuses after that, then whatever I do to him is all on him,” the teen deadpanned eerily with a barely noticeable smile.

The Varia Sun Officer decided not to pry any further into what the young man meant. Before Hadrian went on his way, Lussuria gave him his contact number and managed to convince the dark-haired teen to buy himself a cell phone, so they could stay in touch.  

It would be some time before the flamboyant okama ever saw Hadrian in person again.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

“VOOOII!! You found a Quality Cloud? How powerful is this Hadrian kid exactly?” Squalo exclaimed in amazement.

Lussuria tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Probably not Arcobaleno level, but more than enough to put Ottavio in his place.”

“If he’s a Cloud, why wasn’t he hostile towards you after practically blackmailing him? Civilian or not, there’s also the question of his territory. If it’s going to cause problems for us, I doubt he’ll be too keen on helping us,” Levi pointed out.

“About that... I don’t think he even has a territory, at least not anymore,” Lussuria elaborated, which shocked his fellow Officers into silence. “You know all those baby Clouds who are still getting used to their Flames? It’s like that, but for Hari-chan, he doesn’t know what his _true_ territory is. Even if he does, it’s like the loss isn’t affecting him as it should unless he’s not all that attached to it.”

“Ushishi...Sounds like it could be _ that _ ,” Belphegor chimed in, turning his head to look at Mammon. 

The tiny Mist nodded back in reply before explaining. “Call it a cultural difference. To put it in perspective, for the majority of the Mafia World, there’s an unspoken rule that Clouds and their territories are to be left alone unless you’re foolish enough to want to deal with the aftermath.”

Levi scoffed. “Everyone and their grandmother knows that. Where are you going with this?”

Belphegor interjected. “Mammy and I have heard about this, but it’s more or less a theoretical technique that rarely works. You take a baby Cloud and force them to accept a territory that you yourself chose for them as their own. At the same time, you do whatever it takes to isolate them in order to induce dependency, practically to unhealthy levels. It takes years for the conditioning to stick, but what you get out of it is a Cloud attack dog completely under your thumb. It has to be done very early in the Cloud’s life, the window of opportunity stopping at when they start to figure out their territorial boundaries.”

“Are you telling me that there are people who’ve succeeded?!” Levi exclaimed in horror.

“Muu, calm down, Levi,” Mammon interrupted. “I did say it’s a cultural difference. To answer, yes, there are foolish people willing to try that, but as far as I know, this is the first I’ve actually seen any form of success  _ within  _ the Cosa Nostra.”

“Back to the peasant...this might be a guess, but I think he may be one of the lucky Clouds that got away from his conditioning. However, he’s at his most vulnerable from a mental standpoint. Better that the Varia gets their hands on him before another Famiglia gets the same idea,” Belphegor added.

“Madre di Dio, a Quality Cloud with no attachments. The little trash’s sounds almost perfect. Maybe too perfect. That just makes me even more suspicious,” Squalo said, feeling very conflicted. On one hand, his paranoia was screaming how this might be a trap set by their enemies, but on the other hand, this was their chance to get back some of the Varia’s autonomy. Finally, the Sword Emperor decided that they couldn’t let this opportunity slip through their fingers. However, they needed to approach the situation with caution in case this turned out to be another attempt to sneak an insider among their ranks. “Luss, you keep on mother-henning this kid. In the meantime, Mammon will be in charge of digging deeper into his true identity.”

“Can do, Squalo-sweetie~!”

“Muu, wire me the usual fee once I have all the information.”

Immediately after, the sound of Spanish guitars strumming away with rock music playing the background interrupted the meeting. Recognizing his ringtone, Lussuria reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Oh, perfect timing~! Hari-chan just texted me.”

“What’d he say?” Levi questioned suspiciously.

Lussuria read what was on the screen out loud.  _ Finally captured him. Just had 2 threaten 2 burn his balls away with acid. Have 2 go MIA 4 a while 4 treatment tho. Will text u the deets later.  _ ♡´･ᴗ･`♡

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...Ushishishi...I like him already.”

* * *

Omake II: Special Order

Hadrian stared down at the three fish laid out on the kitchen counter. They were undoubtedly pufferfish. Their inflated, round, and pointy bodies were unmistakable. Not only that, they were still alive and flopping about as though they had just been taken out the water (which, for all Hadrian knew, that might just be the case).

“The prince demands fugu sashimi,” Belphegor declared with a smug shit-eating grin. Maybe it was his wide smirk and striped shirt, but for a moment, the dark-haired teen couldn’t help but think how this situation felt was as if a Cheshire-esqued cat had brought in his most recent kill to his owner.

“Bel, pufferfish are poisonous.  _ Deadly _ poisonous,” the other teen warned.

“So?”

“Don’t chefs need years and years of practice to safely prepare them? Years and years that I  _ don’t _ currently have?”

“And?”

“Bel, given my track record, I’ll cut myself while preparing the sashimi and end up foaming at the mouth on the floor. And knowing how my luck goes, you’ll be in the same state after the first bite.”

“The wildcat is just being a pussy.”

“Yeah, no, I’m still not doing it,” Hadrian objected with a note of finality.

“Ka-ching! You’re either going to cut them up, or the prince will cut  _ you _ up,” the blond teen snapped as he tried to take a stab at the Varia chef.

“Bitch, don't test me! I have a fork and fucking Cloud Flames. I can show you exactly why the Quarto used a bloody fork of all things for a weapon,” the Cloud snarled back after catching the knife with said utensil.

It wasn’t until Belphegor finally told Hadrian what he was planning to do with the fugu sashimi that the dark-haired teen finally agreed to try and make the deadly delicacy. A few YouTube videos later and the fish were ready to be amateurly butchered.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

Funny thing about Storm Flames was that their Disintegrating characteristic allowed Users to break down foreign substances within their bodies into almost nothing. This ability made Storms fearsome opponents. Not only could their Flames completely destroy their enemies, but they were the worst opponents for poison users.

So when a certain Storm was charged with disposing a few would-be spies after the Varia had gotten all the information out of them, the young Varia Officer capitalized on his immunity to not only grab a delicious meal but also complete his “chore” in one go.

“VOI! Are you done taking out the trash?” Squalo bellowed as he kicked the door that led down to the holding cells open.

Behind him, Mammon floated into the room. “Bel, if the rats are still alive, I’m docking your next paycheck for shirking your duties,” the Mist Officer warned.

What they find in the room was a self-satisfied Belphegor surrounded by the corpses of said spies polishing off what remained of an exotic lunch. The bodies sported blue agonized faces and had foam bubbling in their mouths. Scattered across the floors were abandoned plates and utensils. They don’t need an autopsy to see that the infiltrators had died from a potent neurotoxin laced within the young Storm’s meal. No doubt the little shit offered to share his food with the ignorant prisoners despite the fact that they should’ve known better that anything Belphegor had would kill  _ them _ but not him.

“Ushishi, the prince is just about done,” the blond teenager sneered as he stuffed the last of his sashimi into his mouth.

Let it be known that a bored Prince the Ripper was a creative Prince the Ripper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Compared to prototype Acedia, I changed Hadrian’s jobs to more realistic opportunities, added more Varia appearances and more Lussuria/Hadrian BroTP-to-be interactions, fixed up the pre-existing interactions, and injected into Hadrian several healthy doses of pessimistic sarcasm. By the way, in the next chapter, expect more Varia appearances as well as snippets of what’s happening on the Wizarding World’s end. Unfortunately, Xanxus is still a couple more chapters away before he makes his first official appearance, so stay tuned.
> 
> Praepropere: To eat before the time of the meals in order to satisfy your palate is one of the five ways to commit gluttony, according to Pope Gregory I (or St. Gregory the Great). In Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas later defines it as Praepropere, eating to hastily (too soon or at an inappropriate time).
> 
> Soulfire Aspects: I would like to thank Araceil for the inspiration behind Soulfire Aspects and the Wizarding World’s conception of DWF. All credit goes to this wonderful author~! I hope you don't mind me putting my spin to the concept for my story.
> 
> Hadrian's Flames and Soul Shard: Hadrian is still a Cloudy-Sky. It’s just that no one has realized it yet because he’s subconsciously propagating his secondary Flames to hide his primary. It’s a carry-over from Hadrian’s former habit of not wanting attention, and he already knows that Amber(Sky)=leadership expectations=unnecessary attention. As for the quote-on-quote Flame Shard, it’s the reason why Hadrian felt Discorded to those familiar with Flames despite not showing any additional symptoms to confirm that he is. Hadrian and the Mother’s Love Protection are doing its best to combat the Horcrux’s influence, but time has eroded Lily’s Sacrificial Magic. Occasionally, that protection slips and the Horcrux briefly overpowers Hadrian’s Flames, letting loose a malicious aura that causes people around him to feel uneasy and slowly foster negative feeling towards him. Things starts off small but build up slowly. Those negative feelings stew and fester until the person affected is tipped over the edge. It’s even worse for those who are aware of how much of a danger Hadrian is as a “Discorded Element.” So it's not really anyone’s fault that Hadrian’s experiencing the low end of the Potter Luck in this chapter.
> 
> Fugu sashimi: The liver and ovaries contain lethal amounts of poison. Once in the system, the poison paralyzes the muscles by shutting down the nerves and eventually kills the victim via asphyxiation. I had an idea where Belphegor would totally eat neurotoxin-laced fugu with no problems because his Flames can easily break down the poison. Even better if he can trick some unknowing sap into eating it. It might not be as satisfying as butchering his targets in a battle, but it can sure make the job of disposing some infiltrators fun.


	3. Break Away III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shamal is forced to deal with Hadrian, the Varia had multiple heart attacks, Reporters in the Wizarding World are ruthless, and Dumbledore has a bad idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn’t turn out the way I expected because of how long it’s gotten. Also, over one year has passed since I started the Acedia series. I meant to finish this chapter up earlier but real life takes precedent so sorry for the long wait~!

Trident Shamal was considered to be the best medical expert in the realm of Flame-related diseases and conditions. However, there was a catch when it came to getting treatment from the man: he refused to treat men. So, like so many others who came to Shamal seeking treatment, he turned Hadrian away. But that didn’t stop the stubborn teen from trying again… And again… And again...

The first week consisted of the teen tracking him down using the snowy owl that was his Flame-bonded Animal Partner (which he swears might be psychic or something since it never fails to locate him no matter where he is). Time and time again, Hadrian would request his medical expertise only to be shot down each time.

The second week and most of the third week, Hadrian resorted to bribes. At first, it was purely monetary until the former-Wizard got the idea to include mouthwatering homemade lunches to sweeten the deal. However, Hadrian’s patience began to dry up after three whole weeks of repeated failed attempts. The green-eyed young man resorted to politely “warning” Shamal that he would take drastic measures to force the Flame Doctor’s hand.

Needless to say, Shamal didn’t take the threats seriously. After all, he was a seasoned assassin. What could one malnourished teenaged civilian do to him?

In hindsight, he shouldn’t have underestimated the kid’s resources.

After rejecting yet another plea for his help, Shamal went on his way only to wake up the next morning, stripped down to his birthday suit with a very irate teenager holding a bottle of sulfuric acid ready to be poured over his groin area.

Trident Shamal was quick to agree after that... Not to mention a whole month of gourmet meals of his choice and 500 thousand euros wasn’t that bad of a trade.

Fifty-six hours later, the Flame Doctor successfully extracted the Discorded Flame Shard from the teen. However, Hadrian didn’t exactly come out of the Flame Surgery unscathed. After the procedure, not only did some of the teen’s health problems previously caused by the Flame Shard, like severe vision loss and poor nutritional absorption, clear up within a few days, but the side effects that came with the extraction quickly reared its ugly head. Shamal wasn’t the least bit surprised when he found out that his patient ended up developing a mutated form of Flame Starvation, a relatively uncommon but somewhat treatable Flame-related ailment.

Flame Starvation was a condition commonly found in Flame Addicts, people who’d become addicted to the Flames of a certain Element due to overexposure or a conditioned biological response. As a result, they would constantly crave those Flames, acting not unlike a drug addict desperately seeking out their next high. The majority of cases were cured within a few years with a mixture of therapy and tapering. However, Hadrian’s case was different.

Much to the Flame Doctor’s shock, a quick post surgery examination revealed that Hadrian Temperanza wasn’t a pure Cloud as everyone had originally assumed. Instead the former-Wizard possessed primary Sky Flames and secondary Cloud Flames. As it turned out, his patient had been subconsciously overproducing his secondary Flames. This method neatly covered up the fact that he was an unaffiliated Sky. It probably wouldn’t work against an expert actively trying to find out his Flame Type, but against inexperienced Users, it was more than effective.

Shamal later theorized that the young man’s native Cloudy-Sky Flames may have also heavily influenced their Flame Starvation to be more severe and aggressive than normal. His Sky’s Harmonizing factor combined with his Cloud’s Propagating warped the symptoms and enhanced the effects of Flame Starvation.

Humans naturally seek out the things they lack. For Hadrian, his body was reliant on the presence of foreign Flames of any type in order to function normally. This made it impossible for him to be weaned off because even the most severe of Flame Starvation cases only dealt with one or two Elements rather than all of them in Hadrian’s case. In addition, the teen became more hyperaware towards the presence of Flames, leading to more frequent migraines especially if he was in a building full of Flame Active people. On the plus side, this ability would make it harder for Mafiosi to get the drop on the teen.  Unfortunately, Hadrian’s Flame Starvation would probably never be cured, but it was relatively manageable to a certain extent that it wouldn’t cause too much trouble to him and others around him.

That was the last time Trident Shamal would see the kid, and he thought it would stay that way…

Until about a year later in Namimori when he saw Hadrian with the Varia as not only their Cloud Officer, but also as Xanxus’s representative for the Vongola Cloud Ring Battle.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

Inside Varia Headquarters, Mammon and Belphegor burst into the Lussuria’s office. The tiny Mist rapidly honed in on to the martial artist. The blond teen, on the other, had the widest maniacal grin the Sun Officer had ever seen on the young Storm.

“Lussuria, what kind of luck do you have to have someone like _that_ fall onto your lap?!” Mammon demanded.

The Sun Officer in question frowned in confusion and pondered for several moments until he finally realized that the Mist Arcobaleno was referring to Hadrian. “Oh! Is Hari-chan some sort of exiled prince or something? Now that I mentioned it, he does have that ‘nobleman’s child’ look about him.” His imagination ran wild as it came up with a variety of romantic backstories his young friend might have had.

“Ushishishishi... Technically, he’s a Lord, and an heir of at least two or three lines that I know of. It’s impressive because even the prince acknowledges his lineage,” Belphegor clarified before adding as an afterthought, “but only as a peasant-Lord since he’s not royalty like me even though his ancestry is a few hundred years older.”

The House of Potter could trace their family line back to around the 1000s when they used to refer to themselves as Peverell. Belphegor’s own lineage, on the other hand, established themselves as a ruling monarchy around the same time the duchy of Prussia was founded in 1525. Technically, Hadrian would’ve been Belphegor’s better if it wasn’t for his “commoner” mother. However, exactly how “blue” the other teen’s blood was compared to the Storm Officer’s was still up in the air, mostly due to the recent groundbreaking discovery that all Muggleborn Witches and Wizards had been proven to be descendents of disowned Squibs who’d fled to the Muggle World.

Later in a meeting with Squalo, both Mammon and Bel gave a report on why Hadrian was such a big deal to them. Apparently, the kid was some big shot celebrity just for surviving a serial killer. Not exactly a big deal in the Mafia World, where the laws of physics were broken just as easily as federal laws, and faking one’s death pretty much counted as a hobby. Sure, the kid may be famous in the world of wands and brooms, but that wasn’t what the Varia cared about.

Well, not completely.

“We’ve hit the jackpot!” Mammon squealed as they practically can-can danced about Squalo’s office. “His connections, his influence, _his money_! So help me, Squalo, if you let Temperanza go, I will charge you so much that all the currencies in the world won’t be enough to cover your debt with me.”

“VOI, would you quit floating around, baby trash?!” The swordsman roared in reply before adding, “Besides, you know the fuckling rules. He has to earn his place in the Varia fair and square. First, we need to see what the brat could bring to the table.”

“In that case, why don’t we all visit Hari-chan in between our missions? It’ll keep Ottavio from getting too suspicious and you guys can see for yourself how he’ll fit into the Varia,” Lussuria suggested as he got out his phone to call up his little emerald-eyed friend to inform the teen about this new update.

Just as he was about to press the “call” button, a text message from said teen popped up on the screen.

 **Smol Kitten texted to Macho Sorella:** _hey, Luss… Shamal fainted when he redid my flame exam after surgery. my results say i have sky primary and cloud secondary. cloud i can understand but sky… is it bad i have 2 diff flames? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯_

…

…

...

Oh…

That would explain why Lussuria warmed up to Hadrian so quickly. Maybe Mammon was right after all. What did the Varia do to have Lussuria stumble upon someone like Hadrian?

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

Superbi Squalo’s first meeting with Hadrian Temperanza didn’t turn out the way he expected to go. He wanted to see if the kid had any kind of combat experience. He had plans made and everything. He was even going to scare the baby Cloud brat a little to keep things as authentic as possible.

On the contrary, that didn’t happen. However, what he did discover was that the kid could be a twisted piece of shit of Quality proportions when pushed.

At a table outside of a smoothie shop, Squalo found the black-haired teen slumped in his seat, cradling his cup of pureed fruit like a shot glass with one hand. His head was facedown and his other arm dangled freely below the table. He resembled a drunken alcoholic. Not only that, the sight of the former-Wizard’s pet owl nonchalantly using her owner’s prone head as a perch painted an amusing picture for the Varia Rain.

“VOI! Are you still alive or are you too busy crying over a fucking smoothie?” Squalo bellowed at the teen.

“...I just quit my job last night...” Hadrian mumbled into the table surface as Hedwig physically drooped in depression.

“And why the fuck should that mat-

“This is the _eighth_ time. _EIGHT!_ I can’t keep a job for more than a few months at best. At this rate, I’m probably better off being one of those people who stay at home and upload videos about themselves reacting to that anime thing my cousin was obsessed with,” the teen ranted as Hedwig angrily waved her wings around in sync with her owner’s words.

According to Lussuria, the kid apparently had been having problems finding a stable job and keeping it. Some of the reasons why he got the pink slip of the week were pretty typical...others were downright hilarious (like the one time Hadrian went Gordon Ramsay on a shitty kitchen staff).

“Just out of curiosity, why did you quit?”

At that, Hedwig snorted and turned her beak up as though she smelled something disgusting. “My former boss’s son. The guy was an arrogant, entitled manchild who got his job as assistant manager because daddy dearest is the owner of our workplace.”

Squalo scowled in distaste. “So one of _those_ then…” He was familiar with the spoiled brat type back during his school days. In Mafia Academy, there was no shortage of heirs and heiresses of wealthy Famiglias who were used to throwing around their Don’s influence to get what they want. “Voi, you better tell me that you at least gave him a good punch in the face or something.”

Hedwig shrugged innocently as Hadrian replied, “Well no... but I did trick him into eating Rocky Mountain oysters...”

Squalo frowned in confusion. “How the hell would an appetizer solve anything!?”

The teen interrupted him. “I’m not done… Rocky Mountain oysters made from his own balls,” Hadrian finished with Hedwig spreading her wings wide and shaking them lightly in a tah-dah manner.

For the first time in his life, Squalo had gone completely silent. The awkward moment seemed to last forever as it stretched on for several moments. Finally, the Varia Rain burst out into a full-bellied roar of laughter.

“VOI! Most civilian men can’t stomach that sort of thing,” Squalo hiccuped out in between snickers.

“Most civilian men didn’t stay up late into the night researching how veterinarians perform the operation,” the teen dryly commented as Hedwig puffed up her chest in pride. “Long story short, I was thinking about how he was so into his own hype that much so I figured he would enjoy sucking on his own nether regions. Hence where I got the idea.”

“So how’d you avoid getting arrested for pulling that stunt?”

“You have to have evidence in order to persecute someone,” Hadrian purred as Hedwig gave Squalo the evilest smirk he’d ever seen on an owl’s face. “You’d be surprised on how little people pay attention to an innocent-looking, doe-eyed brat.”

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

**_DUMBLEDORE’S NEGLIGENCE? THIRTEEN HOGWARTS STUDENTS KIDNAPPED DURING HOGSMEADE WEEKEND_ **

_By Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet Senior Reporter, Special Correspondent_

 

**_KIDNAPPED STUDENTS FOUND AT LAST:_ **

**_Heroic Aurors Recovered All Thirteen Missing Children_ **

_By Jean Dupont, Daily Prophet Photojournalist_

 

**_HEARTBREAKING DIAGNOSIS OF TOP MEDIWIZARDS!!!_ **

_By Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet Senior Reporter, Special Correspondent_

 

**_THE CURSED STUDENTS TRAGEDY TAKES A CONTROVERSIAL TURN:_ **

**_Hogwarts’s Idea of “Helping” the “Bloodless” Cursed Students Is Expelling Them_ **

_By Nomen Nescio, Wizarding World News Investigative Journalist_

 

**_MOTION CARRIED OUT BY SCHOOL BOARD:_ **

**_All Thirteen Bloodless Are Formally Expelled From Hogwarts’s Student Roster_ **

_By Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet Senior Reporter, Special Correspondent_

 

**_BLOODLESS IS THE NEW MUDBLOOD?: CURSED STUDENT INCIDENT MAY GIVE RISE TO NEW PREJUDICES_ **

_Luna Lovegood Sheds Light on Her Perspective in One-on-One Interview_

 

**_MAGICAL CORE DRAINING CURSE TAKES ITS FIRST BLOODLESS VICTIM:_ **

**_What Does Will This Mean For The Wizarding World?_ **

_By Joe Bloggs, Daily Prophet Data Journalist_

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

The Burrow may not seem like the most fortified of headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, but it was the only available stronghold Dumbledore had access to now that Sirius had barred him and the Order from Grimmauld property. After much persuasion, he had managed to convince Arthur and Molly to allow him to conduct an emergency private meeting in their home. Perhaps it may have been cruel of him to take advantage of their lapse in judgement due to grief, but this meeting was for the Greater Good of the Wizarding World.

“Albus, what are we going to do? Poor Neville was one of the victims! How can we expect him to defeat You-Know-Who if he’s about to die before the end of the next school year?!” Emmeline Vance wailed in despair.

The old Wizard laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You needn’t worry, my dear. While it’s a shame that we’ve lost two boys to unlucky circumstances, I may have found a solution. After a bit of searching here and there, I came across an interesting read.”

Reaching into the bag he brought with him, he took out several sheets of parchment bounded by some string. They were yellow with age and looked as though they would crumble to dust at the slightest touch. Even the words written on the ancient pages revealed just how old it was, the ink having been faded due to the passage of time.

This was an unusual sight for most of the Witches and Wizards present. Nowadays, ancient records spanning back centuries could be easily kept as though they had just been written with a few Preservation Charms. However, what Albus had showed them may have existed _prior_ to the invention of those Charms.

Albus carefully passed them over to Minerva who took the papers while giving them a dubious look. Her curiously aroused, she looked down at the faded front page and slowly read the title to the best of her ability.  “...‘ _Secrets of the Seven Gems_ ’ by Lavinia Lockheart?”

“The unpublished remains of an underappreciated Witch’s research left to be forgotten to time,” he answered easily. “This is how the Light will win the war.”

“How will a moth eaten pile of papers help?” Severus sneered dubiously as he flipped through the papers, eyeing both the Headmaster and the research notes with no small amount of distrust. ”Half of the contents are missing and the rest you can barely read.”

“Inside contains information about _a power that Voldemort knows not_ about. If Witches and Wizards are able to utilize this power, then there may be no need for a Chosen One to defeat him.”

“You all have forgotten a few things,” Alastor Moody interrupted his old friend. “The majority of Voldemort’s Death Eaters are from old Pureblood families. I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two of them have a copy hidden somewhere in their family libraries. What’s stopping the Dark Lord from strolling into his followers’ homes and gaining access to this and more.”

“After much deliberation, I have reason to believe that it is an unlikely scenario,” Albus concluded confidently. “Firstly, Miss Lockheart only made a handful copies of these notes because she couldn’t take the risk to publish her findings as her research was viewed as almost heretical at the time. After she shared her research with a selected group of trusted colleagues, she destroyed the original. It’s highly possible that this copy is the only survivor. Another factor, you see, also plays in our favor. This ‘Soulfire’ power, as Miss Lockheart explained, comes from an unconventional source. ”

“Where?”

“Muggles.”

* * *

Omake III: Meet the Mother Hen(s)

Lussuria had just found himself a new best friend. She was cold and ruthless to her foes, but with just the right amount of sweetness towards her loved ones to be endearing. She’s a bit haughty, but that arrogance is backed up by her dazzling beauty, dizzying intelligence, and a hidden malevolent side waiting to come out at a moment’s notice. But what Lussuria liked most of all about his new friend was her creativity when it came to punishing her enemies in the most humiliating, agonizing ways.

“What do you think, Widdy-chan? Does our little canvas have just the right amount of purple or does it need more red?” Lussuria asked the owl after she finished disemboweling the battered form of the man in front of him.

Their current victim was Hadrian’s ex-coworker who had tried to frame the teen for theft and assault. The incident escalated to the point where the police was called in. Luckily the investigation proved Hadrian’s innocence, but the real culprit was never found. His workplace then decided to fire him in order to save face for their customers, allowing the guilty party to get away scot free at the expense of a teenager.

Unfortunately, the culprit’s luck ran out. He didn’t take into account that Hadrian Temperanza had some very vindictive friends eager to make him bleed.

At Lussuria’s question, Hedwig barked only once in reply as she hopped away from the pathetically crying human. Her amber eyes narrowed as she gave the gurgling human in front of her a wicked glare. Her bloodstained talons scratched at the ground almost impatiently as she carefully cleaned her claws of every drop of blood.

The flamboyant man hummed a little before giving the man a critical look. Then, he nodded and made a small noise of agreement towards the snowy owl. “Oh, you’re right, darling!” Then, the martial artist’s eyes fell on the man’s miraculously still intact teeth. “There needs to be a little less white~!” Lussuria purred menacingly as he tightened his black leather gloves.

A month later, a group of hikers found the horribly mutilated body of Pinco Pallino, aged 36, in a cave. The investigators ruled that his death was an accident. After getting into a bar fight, he stumbled into the forest and had a bad run in with one of Italy’s larger birds of prey, which ended up killing him after a few lucky strikes in the stomach and throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I had forgotten about Hedwig. Then again, there’s currently not much I can do to make her shine like I had in the original. Maybe once Hadrian finally enters the Varia.
> 
> Shamal’s Kidnapping: Hadrian used the Cloak of Invisibility (Yes, he still has it. He just hasn’t had the opportunity to use it until now.) with a healthy dose of Slytherin cunning to catch him off guard. I know, canonically, the Cloak can only protect its user from optical detection and anything else that would affect the Cloak itself. Therefore, it shouldn’t have been possible for Shamal, who was scouted as a potential member of the Varia, to not at least hear Hadrian coming. I would like to defend this sudden onslaught of Gary-Stu-ness by having Shamal underestimate Hadrian’s capabilities because a) he’s a civilian, b) has no training whatsoever on how to professionally kill a person let alone using his Flames for combat purposes, c) assumed that Hadrian wouldn’t have the guts to try and hurt him, d) gotten so used to Hadrian that he became complacent with his awareness towards Hadrian’s actions, and e) doesn’t know that Hadrian had some practice sneaking around to survive (ie. Hogwarts misadventures and Dursleys).
> 
> Rocky Mountain Oysters: A North American hors d'oeuvre delicacy consisting of deep fried cattle testicles. For those of you who’ve read Acedia, you’ve probably noticed that this idea from the alternate scene omake was recycled into Hadrian’s bonding moment with Squalo.
> 
> Newspaper Titles: If you’re wondering what the heck is going on behind the scenes, there will be a back-to-back series of interludes explaining things from Hadrian’s future Guardians POV.
> 
> OC Names: All of the non-canon character names in this chapter are various equivalents of “John Doe,” aka placeholder names for people. I make it a habit to not name any background characters, especially if they’re not all that important and you’re not likely going to hear from them ever again.
> 
> The omake was an idea inspired by Arekkusu Akuma1 of fanfiction.net. Give them a shout-out for Lussuria and Hedwig’s bonding session~!
> 
> To be honest, I had a bit of trouble writing this part out. The first few drafts didn’t go so well. Originally, the omake was more light-hearted. It was supposed to be Lussuria recording Hedwig and Hadrian having a glaring contest (read: argument) over her pranks on his ex-bosses/douchebag co-workers. However, I fell back into my old habits, and the whole thing felt forced. So I wrote a different omake, and this is the final result.
> 
> Once again, thank you, blackkat1325, for all your help. ☆=(ゝω･)/


	4. Break Away IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hadrian gets a new do, Belphegor gains another bestie, Albus obtains a new minion-slave, and you guys are hinted towards the first antag of this saga

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: I’ve decided that the next arc after Break Away will be a series of interludes, which I have taken to uncreatively calling it the Interlude Arc. It should be in the next chapter or two, but that depends.

Chapter 4: Break Away IV

Lussuria had only been to his friend’s house once before. Hadrian’s house was fairly ordinary when it came to traditional houses in Italy: three rooms, two bathrooms, a single couch, and a coffee table in the living room. Even the faded wallpaper and floorboards weren’t all that special to look at. As far as he knew, the only personalizations that existed were a small wooden shelf containing thick fantasy-themed books, a large, empty birdcage next to a perch, and a fully furnished kitchen that would’ve made a professional chef weep in envy.

After picking the lock, Lussuria stepped through the front door and into the living room just as Hadrian exited the bathroom. “Hari-chan~! Long time no see~! Your Sorella is-” The martial artist immediately choked on his words at what he had seen. “WHAT IN HEAVEN’S NAME IS THAT?!” The Varia Sun shrieked in horror now that he got a good look at what the teen in question had done to himself.

The last time Lussuria saw Hadrian, the teen didn’t look any different than when he first met him. Emerald-green eyes hidden behind wire frame glasses, fair skin tone befitting of a foreigner from the United Kingdom, and a head full of messy jet-black hair. Now there is a dramatic difference between the Hadrian of last month and the Hadrian of now. Somehow, the former-Wizard’s hair had grown out uncontrollably, making it resemble a massive black tumbleweed that barely fit through the bathroom door. Everything from the nose up was completely covered in dark tangled curls. Even though the teen had shoved his glasses approximately where his eyes should be, the flamboyant man couldn’t help but wonder whether or not his friend retained his ability to see with all that hair covering his eyes.

Hadrian shrugged, the movement made the huge ball of hair consuming the upper half of his head jiggle precariously. “I met a guy with long hair, and I thought it might look good on me too.” 

He figured if his hair were to grow long enough, then it would be a step up from the rat’s nest he’d always possessed for as long as he could remember. In reality, it only made his perpetual bedhead worse, even more so when you consider that Hadrian had the bright idea to dump a cup of liquified Cloud and Sun Flames directly onto his hair follicles.

“It...ah...didn’t go as well as I thought,” Hadrian admitted sheepishly.

“I’ll say, dearie…” Lussuria gulped. “Are you trying to style your hair into, um, an afro?”

The former-Wizard sighed. “No… But I do want a change from my usual looks…Help?”

A large part of Hadrian’s sudden urge to experiment with his appearance was because he wanted to completely shed his former identity as Harry James Potter once and for all.

As a child, he was “Freak” or “Boy”. He was supposed to not exist, taught to never stray from the role he was given, to never question anything, and to take whatever was given to him without expecting anything more out of his worthless life.

As a Wizard, he was “Harry Potter”. He was the spitting image of his father but with his mother’s eyes, the living embodiment of Gryffindor ideals, an icon to every impressionable young Witch or Wizard, and the protector of peace and prosperity of the Wizarding World.

But now, he was “Hadrian Temperanza”. His identity was a blank canvas, waiting to be formulated however he wished it to be. He could explore to his heart’s content as well as discover parts of himself he was no longer forced to reject.

Lussuria stared at Hadrian’s hair thoughtfully as he tried to visualize what he could do to salvage the situation. “Do you know where you keep your hair scissors?”

“Err...I have kitchen scissors?” Hadrian offered.

“...”

“...”

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

In the end, Lussuria had to make due with what he had. He did his best to straighten out the hedge growing out of Hadrian’s scalp before he would even think of touching a pair of scissors. The fashion-conscious man’s plan was to keep Hadrian’s hair long enough for the chaotic curls to become more like windswept waves and bangs to cover up the fading lightning scar that marred his friend’s forehead.

While Lussuria did his magic as they chatted, the former-Wizard eventually asked the Sun Officer an interesting question. Lussuria’s answer would not only expand Hadrian’s horizons but also instill a thought-provoking concept that would change everything.

“Hey, Luss. I’ve been wondering about this for a while…” Hadrian hesitated, “...Have I been using the wrong pronouns for you all this time? You act like a woman even though you’re a man. You even use feminine descriptions when referring to yourself. Does that mean you’re a ‘she’ and not a ‘he’? ” 

“On no, dearie, it’s not as simple as that.” The martial artist informed, “You see, I’m bigender, darling~! That means I am both a man and a woman, even if I do tend to lean more on the feminine side of the spectrum.”

“I’m confused. What do you mean by spectrum?” 

“Well, let me enlighten you on what gender identity is. Gender identity isn’t tied to what kind of reproductive system you have. It’s actually one of the most important parts of your individuality. It’s how you see yourself and how you decide to express yourself. Contrary to what most might believe, it’s not acting, or heavens forbid,  _ performing _ . It’s  _ being _ . I could be in a ballgown, wear make-up, and put on a pair of heels, and that still won’t make me any less of a man no matter how womanly I look from an outsider’s perspective.”

Hadrian fell silent for a few minutes as he took in Lussuria’s words. “...How does that work? How did you know? How...” ‘ _ Tell me what I should do. _ ’ was the unspoken plea that the older man ignored for the teen’s own good.

“Hari-chan, I discovered myself when I was just about your age. Maybe a little bit older.” Lussuria went on, “Yet, for as long as I can remember, I’ve never felt fully comfortable as a man. All those hyper-masculine traits I’d been raised on had never sat well with me. Instead of pursuing and indulging in dominance and power, I was more comfortable with  _ nurturing _ others instead, which is largely considered a feminine and perceived as a weak trait for a man to have. Finally, I came to realize that I could identify as  _ both _ a man  _ and _ a woman. After that, it was surprisingly easy for me to let go of the social expectations of gender that’s been been with me since the day I was born. I don’t have to give up one in order to be the other. Realizing that, Hari-chan, was one of the most important things that has ever happened to me. These things take time, and there’s no rush because the experience varies from person to person.”

Hadrian thought about what Lussuria had just said deeply.

As a child, the Dursleys would make it very clear that they were a strict and traditional household. Anything that was even  _ remotely _ considered “abnormal” was forbidden under their roof. As far as the Dursleys knew, non-heteronormative individuals were as horrendous as the Witches and Wizards of the Magical World. Not right in the head. Sexual deviants. Abominations. Confused, disgusting, cursed, etc. Those were some of the many common phrases he’d heard over the years. 

That reasoning was the very reason why he’d grown to  _ loathe _ the word “freak” with a fervent passion. Mostly because he couldn’t help but empathize with them more than he had realized. They were demeaned for something they couldn’t help. For something they loved and wholeheartedly accepted about themselves yet others refused to do the same.

For most of his life, Harry Potter had been constantly stuck in a limbo of uncertainty about where he stood. He was biologically male, yet he wasn’t allowed to show any sort of aggression or strength lest he be punished harshly if he so much as made a single sound of complaint. He wasn’t supposed to be feminine, yet he would be rewarded with extra scraps of food and then be left alone for being meek and obedient. So the questions persisted:

Which category did Harry Potter fall under? And why did he have to chose between just those two? Why must he be limited to one over the other?

The Wizarding World certainly didn’t give him any satisfactory answers, though it did offer a brand new insight adding on to his understanding of sexuality and gender. He had learned through Malfoy of all people that Witches and Wizards were far more liberal than their Muggle counterparts when it came to tolerance and acceptance. For the most part, any complaints about one’s “tastes” were made in regards towards reproductive concerns. For the most part, any form of discussion and/or expression was to be kept secret from the public and reserved for within the privacy of one’s home. However, there was a mandatory dominant-submissive binary that must be maintained no matter what form it may take. “Imbalanced dynamics” only added a far more effective invitation to be criticized and discouraged.

Disappointedly, that perspective only brought forth more questions than answers.

Looking back, Hadrian surmised that it was a carry-over from Wizards adopting societal expectations from Muggleborns who have grown up sheltered from anything that was not “normal” and “socially acceptable”.

Hadrian’s mental debate with himself was making his head spin. “Why does sex and gender have to be so complicated?” He absentmindedly murmured mostly to himself.

Lussuria shrugged, finally putting down the poultry shears he had been using. “Because they typically are? Hari-chan, trying to understand is one thing, but don’t force yourself to conform to mine or anyone else’s views. It’s supposed to be what you and you alone make of it. Just do what feels naturally and makes you feel the happiest with yourself,” the Sun Officer advised.

“What if I still don’t know  _ what _ it is that makes me happy to be myself?” Hadrian countered.

Lussuria smiled at him encouragingly. “It’s called questioning, Hari-chan, and it’s a step towards discovering the person that you are.” 

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

The first time Belphegor met Hadrian Temperanza, Levi had been his partner for a mission, so the two of them took the opportunity to drop by the address Lussuria gave them. However, their first impression of the other teen was that he had guts enough to mouth off to Prince the Ripper and Lightning Strike Levi. The Storm Officer couldn’t help but wonder if the other teen was suicidal or if the baby Cloud hadn’t been fully aware of their identities at the time.

“I did  _ not _ get up at  _ five _ in the fucking  _ morning _ to deal with your bloodlust. Dial it back a notch or ten and come back after a few hours when my brain stops stabbing itself.” Levi never got the chance to react to the lack of respect given to him by the brazen teen before the door loudly slammed into his gobsmacked face.

Unable to resist the opportunity given to him, Belphegor quickly whipped out his phone and snapped a few photos of the Lightning’s face. Mammon always paid a sizable reward for new blackmail fuel.

The second time Belphegor met Hadrian, it had been an ambush. The young Varia Storm figured that the best way to see if the former-Wizard had anything he could work with was to attack him out of nowhere. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it), Hadrian had something that proved himself worthy of the attentions of the Varia’s Prince the Ripper.

Hadrian had naturally fast reflexes. Really fast reflexes.  _ Quality _ reflexes. 

The Storm Officer surmised that it was due to the other teen’s background as a seeker as well as inheriting James Potter’s impressive Quidditch skills, but there were other factors that contributed to Hadrian’s ability. A “rough” childhood (to put it lightly) would have given the former-Wizard ample opportunity to “train” himself to react quickly.

After the ambush, Belphegor confirmed his findings shortly before things escalated into an intense mock fight that ended in the Storm’s favor. While the green-eyed boy barely lasted a handful of minutes before being completely outclassed by the more experienced assassin, the exiled prince did notice that Hadrian could detect attacks faster than the average civilian. His body, at its present state, was unable to keep up with his mind, but combined with Squalo’s sword fighting lessons and the right training to bring out his full potential, the other teen could become a force of nature.

To satisfy his curiosity, though mostly out of boredom, he half-heartedly tossed one of his knives in Hadrian’s direction as the other boy was cooking in his kitchen, wanting to see how Hadrian would react. He figured it would give the dark-haired teen a scare or at least make Hadrian feel wary of Belphegor afterwards. Most people instinctively dodged incoming sharp objects, but not in the former-Wizard’s case. Not even pausing in his cooking, he deftly snatched it out of the air. Instead of reacting with fear, Hadrian reacted with a Supremely Done With Your Shit™ gaze.

Intrigued, the blond teen kept throwing knife after knife at Hadrian. With each throw, the deadly blades flew faster and faster at the other teen’s vitals, and every time, the black-haired teen easily caught them without so much as batting an eyelid.

“I hope you’re not too attached to them because I’m going to keep these and not give them back,” the former-Wizard drawled to the Storm after the 25 th knife.

“Ushishishi. They’re copies anyways. Now where’s my sushi?” Belphegor demanded.

“Hope you like American,” Hadrian replied cheerfully as he brought out a large serving tray carrying plates of Philadelphia rolls, spam musubi, California rolls, and Pink Lady rolls. Everything looked delicious and ready to eat, however, there was just one tiny problem. There wasn’t a single gram of eel.

Earlier today, the Storm Officer had stopped to collect some high quality Japanese eel imported straight from the waters of East Asia. Belphegor had been craving sushi lately and Hadrian was the best cook he’d ever known. So he had brought it over to Hadrian’s and asked (read: demanded) that Hadrian make sushi.

The blond glared at the other teen through his bangs as he came out of the kitchen with his own meal. “I brought you the eel for a reason, peasant. Now, where’s my unagi?”

Hadrian merely raised an eyebrow as he sat down. “You have your lunch and I have mine.”

A familiar savory scent of grilled meat wafted over towards Belphegor. His eyes fell down towards the bowl the dark-haired teen was about to take a bite out of. The bastard’s lunch was a fucking unagi donburi (grilled eel rice bowl).

“Ka-ching!” The thoroughly pissed off Storm Officer threw about a dozen knives at Hadrian’s vitals only to be blocked by the serving tray. The other teen in return proceeded to try and cave Belphegor’s head in with said knife embedded tray. After that, things devolved into yet another intense sparring session.

Fifteen minutes later, the two teenagers calmed down enough to dig into their food (although the unadon had to be reheated after it went cold).

Halfway through their meal, Hadrian brought up something he had been contemplating since Belphegor first ambushed him. “I think I need armor or something. Something that would compensate for my weaknesses.”

“Your greatest strengths are your agility and precision,” the other teen pointed out and continued. “If we can build up your stamina to acceptable levels, you can, in theory, outlast your opponents and take them down by targeting their weak points. Downside is that your body is already predisposed towards low endurance, meaning your resistance towards damage is not good. Body armor would be your best bet. Problem is that it’s going to weigh you down, and your mobility would be compromised.”

“What if the armor is made of something lightweight? Like say, snakeskin?” Hadrian suggested.

Belphegor replied, “What is the peasant talking about?”

Hadrian briefly excused himself and went to his room. Minutes later, he came out carrying a large trunk in his arms. Setting it down on the floor, he opened it up and rifled through it for a few moments before he finally located the item he was looking for. What the green-eyed teen had pulled out made Belphegor’s eyes widened large enough that his eye color could be clearly seen through his thick blond bangs. The sushi piece he had been chewing on fell out of his open mouth and onto his lap with a wet “plop”.

“How…? What…?” Belphegor sputtered in shock. “WHERE IN THE GODS’ NAME DID YOU GET A  _ BASILISK SKIN _ ?!”

Hadrian blinked at the Storm’s exclamation before quickly becoming suspicious. “How’d you know this came from a Basilisk? What if this came from a crocodile or a really big boa?”

“Tch. As if some common reptile could measure up to the King of Serpents! I’d recognize a Basilisk anywhere.” Belphegor scoffed as he snatched his napkin from the table to clean himself up. “Once a year, the royal family of Magical Prussia would receive the shedded skin of the House of Visconti’s pet Basilisk. That thing is the reason why the Duchy of Milan’s coat of arms has featured a giant snake since 1277.”

“You’re really a prince? And here I thought you were a dedicated roleplayer,” the dark-haired teen cried out in mock surprise.

“Ka-ching! You should bow down to me,  _ Lordling _ !” Belphegor spat out, subtly emphasizing the fact that Hadrian wasn’t of royal blood compared to him. “I am the second prince of Magical Empire of Prussia. My kingdom’s domain stretches from the edges of the Russian tundra to the coastline of Greece,” the blond bragged with no small amount of arrogance.

However, that wasn’t what caught the former-Wizard’s attention. “M-Magical? You mean you’re a Wizard-” Hadrian babbled as his anxiety levels skyrocketed.

“Squib,” Belphegor interrupted Hadrian to correct the other teen. The correction made Hadrian relax a little...but not much. “Before you jump to conclusions, I already know that your real identity is Harry Potter. I won’t ask how you’re still alive even though you were declared to be dead by the British Ministry less than two years ago.” The young Varia Officer then gave the former-Wizard a knowing look before adding, “But to be honest, what goes on in that backwards island is none of my business.”

“...Just out of curiosity… Belphegor is your codename in the Varia, right? What’s your real name?” Hadrian asked.

The teenaged Storm scoffed. “Way too many middle names and syllables for me to tell you. I doubt your British tongue could even pronounce it anyways.” 

The dark-haired teen hummed in acknowledgement as he went to his refrigerator to grab his pitcher of Rain-infused iced tea.

“So rumor has it that you killed a Basilisk when you were a First Year student. That’s how you got the skin, right?” Belphegor brought up, completely changing the subject of the conversation. “What about the rest of Basilisk? Don’t tell me you forgot about the rest of the carcass? The potion ingredients harvested from a Basilisk are worth a fortune, you know?”

“It was my Second Year, and I did have the rest of the carcass rendered.” The former-Wizard corrected before adding, “I have heard that Basilisks make very rare and highly valuable raw materials, so before I left Britain I figured I could bribe the Goblins to get me far far away from the Wizarding World and keep people from forcing me to go back. I was more than right.”

From an outsider’s perspective, Hadrian might as well have overpaid in order to get a simple job done even if it barely put a dent in his overall inheritance. Discounting the Basilisk corpse, the Goblins were given the gold in his trust fund vault, copies of the books left behind by Salazar Slytherin hidden within the Chamber of Secrets, and all the shedded skin littered throughout the Chamber over the centuries. It was a once in a lifetime deal they couldn’t pass up.

“Ushishishi, were they drooling when you showed them the carcass?” Belphegor smirked in bemusement as he returned to his meal.

Hadrian shook his head as he carefully folded the skin. “No, but Griphook stopped breathing, and their king, Ragnok almost passed out from shock. If you combine the skin from the carcass itself as well as the skin it has shed for the last thousand years, it was more than enough for to cover every Goblin warrior in Gringotts. They gave me this leftover skin as an ‘incentive’ to continue my patronage with them rather than transfer my assets over to the Monaciellos.”

The Monaciellos were the Italian counterpart of the Goblins of British Wizarding World. These Magical Creatures resembled short and stout humanoids wearing a hooded robe. They weren’t that much taller than a small human child. These benevolent fairies were the sole managers of Italy’s Ullio Wizarding Bank, through which a Witch or Wizard could access their fortune by seeking them out in an abandoned church or monastery.

“Ushishishi. Leave it to the ‘ _ Chosen One _ ’ of England to be Varia Quality in achievements even if his skills are lacking,” Belphegor drawled.

Hadrian frowned in confusion, “Varia Quality? What do you mean by that?”

The blond blinked. “...Are you really asking me that?”

“What? Is it some sort of slang or code I’m not aware of?”

“I thought Lussuria said you’re aware of what goes on in the Mafia World.”

“...I’m a civilian. I’ve probably been ‘aware’ for about six months give or take,” Hadrian deadpanned.

Belphegor sighed and mentally prepared himself to play the knowledgeable senpai for his soon-to-be kohai. “Basically, the term, Varia Quality, refers to when an individual meets the basic requirements to be considered a possible recruit of the Varia. The requirements are as follows: 

“One: you must be an assassin or, at the very least, have killed before (we  _ are _ an organization of killers for hire after all).

“Two: you must possess Active Flames (that’s a no brainer). 

“Three: you must know a minimum of seven languages (we do get the occasional mission outside of Italy). 

“Four: you have to be a genius in some form or another. 

“And finally, you must swear your loyalty to the Boss,” Belphegor finished explaining. 

“So… In my case, requirements one and two are pretty much covered,” Hadrian said, recalling Quirrel in his First Year. “Number three is a work in progress.” He could knock off English and Italian as two out of the seven languages he needed to learn, but he was still unsure if he should include Latin. “As for number four, I don’t think that applies to me, and the last requirement is put on hold indefinitely until I’ve at least  _ met _ your Boss in person.” He wanted to see whether or not this Xanxus person was someone Hadrian could follow for the rest of his life. The last thing he wanted was to be chained to a role he couldn’t escape from this time around.

Belphegor snorted at the other teen’s reasoning for number four. Technically, he had already met the requirement just by possessing Cloudy-Sky Flames, an extremely rare and virtually unheard of combination.

“Before we get even further off topic, Basilisk skin is a wise choice. Durable, impenetrable, and, if handled by the right tailor with the right skills, flexible, which will help a lot given your fighting style. There’s only one in the Vongola who might take you up on it, but it’ll take a while for us to reach him as he’s been a recluse since Donna Ottavo’s funeral,” the Storm Officer explained as Hadrian returned to the table. 

“Who?”

“Talbot.”

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

For years, Mundungus Fletcher had lead a life of petty crime. Ever since he had dropped out of Hogwarts, he’d made a living stealing treasures from unsuspecting Witches and Wizards and selling contraband items in Knockturn Alley. However, that all changed ever since the Second Wizarding War escalated after the death of the last Bloodless, Astoria Greengrass. His crimes also escalated as if in accordance to how desperate Albus was to win the war.

Rather than stealing people’s valuables and pocket change, he was now trafficking something much more valuable…

Muggleborn Soulfire candidates.

Zhang San was Mundungus’s current target. He was a British-Chinese teenager born from the union between an unnamed Irish father and a Chinese mother rumored to have criminal connections. He was abandoned by his own mother in his father’s country when he was still a toddler and grew up under the foster system. To the perspective of Muggles, Mister San was just another pitiful boy struggling to find his place in the world. But to Albus Dumbledore, he was much more than that. His Soulfire Aspect was Emerald, the mark of a protector who wouldn’t hesitate to defend at all costs.

It was disturbingly easy tracking down those who fit the necessary requirements like Zhang San. Male, young, born between the months of July and August, either a Muggle or descended from a Muggle, and most importantly, a high chance of Soulfire awakening.

Once taken via Apparation, they were dropped off in one of the many hidden rooms in Hogwarts that could only be accessed through the Headmaster’s Office. There were only about a dozen spaces available to be filled at a time. The hidden rooms were fully furnished not unlike the school dorms and a House Elf or two was assigned to take care of the occupant’s every need with strict orders to not be seen no matter what.

Understandably, the Soulfire candidates were resistant and/or unsure about their new roles. Everyday Albus would venture down to a Soulfire candidate to try to persuade them to fight for the Light’s cause. For the most part, the candidate's stay could be as short as a few days or as long as almost an entire month. By the time they left as “recruits,” they were more than willing to  _ die _ for the greater good of the Light.

The recruits ranged from as young as thirteen to as old as twenty-one. Any younger and they wouldn’t be able to utilize their Soulfire in duels. Any older and it would take time that they didn’t have to try and convince them to join the Light’s cause. After the first few attempts, the Order managed to figure out the appropriate age range for recruitment.

As he left with his payment for dropping off his target, he overheard Albus address himself to the young man, “Good morning, my boy. Would you like a lemon drop?”

Not a bad day’s work for 200 Galleons.

ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ

“Sir, we’ve confirmed that Sun Officer Lussuria, Rain Officer Squalo, and Storm Officer Belphegor have been regularly rendezvousing with civilian Hadrian Temperanza. Lightning Officer Levi and Mist Officer Mammon were also seen with Temperanza as well.”

“And the boy’s background check?”

“Mist Officer Mammon conducted it personally. I’ve confirmed that they investigated Temperanza thoroughly. He’s as clean as the typical civilian. No affiliation to any of the Vongola’s enemies nor the Famiglia’s allies. Should we move to create an extermination order for Temperanza?”

“No. Leave them be. For now. Dismissed.”

...

“So Xanxus’s little group are so desperate that they’ve resorted to using a civilian to get rid of me? Well then, if they want everything their Sky had stood for to be destroyed so badly, I’ll be more than happy to crush that mutt’s hopes and dreams for them.”

* * *

Omake IV: I’m In Love With The Coco

“I do not have a drinking problem,” Hadrian protested as he clutched his strawberry-banana milkshake protectively.

“You drink almost as much as Boss did only, instead of alcohol, it’s fruity beverages made from Flame-fed fruits and vegetables,” Lussuria pointed out.

“You know I have a medical condition that requires me to have a regular intake of Flames.”

“That still doesn’t mean that you can down twice your bodyweight in piña coladas on a daily basis! Last I checked, your condition isn’t even that severe. At this rate, you’re going to get Flame Drunk!”

“Flame Drunk? That’s a thing?” The teen questioned before adding thoughtfully, “Does that mean if I start adding vodka to my mocktails, I can charge at people with the force of an overactive Cerberus puppy on an intruder?” 

“Jesus Christ, no!” The martial artist gasped in shock. “Although the other day, you did almost rip out that poor guy’s stomach when he tried to steal your thermos.”

“It was mango green tea punch and Rain-infused.” Hadrian defended himself and then grumbled, “Flame infused food items aren’t cheap, you know. I paid good money for that mango.”

“What about that one time you thought you could fly with Hedwig and tried to jump off a building?”

“You mean the blueberry mojito? In my defense, I didn’t expect I would react to Mist Flames that way…” Hadrian briefly paused for a moment as he reviewed the incident in his head. “...Or maybe it was a weird allergic reaction to the blueberries?” The former-Wizard mumbled mostly to himself.

“ _ That had Mist Flames?! _ ” the martial artist shrieked in horror as the implications hit him hard in the face.

Normally, whenever Hadrian ingested Flames, his body exhibited a minor reaction to the presence of the foreign Flames in accordance to whatever type was introduced to his system. Up until that moment, Hadrian had only had Rain, Sun, and Cloud Flames. Rain made him feel calm and relaxed and Sun gave him a temporarily energy boost. Cloud Flames, however, made no noticable changes, possibly because it was one of his native Flames. So in theory, if Mist Flames were an equivalent to a hallucinogenic, then that might mean...

With lightning-fast reflexes, the older man grabbed hold of his young friend’s shoulders and begged, “Hari-chan, sweetie, I beg of you. Promise your Sorella that you won’t drink anything laced with Lightning and Storm without me to make sure there’s no problem.” 

Hadrian raised a curious eyebrow. “Why? What’s the worst that could happen?”

“ _ NO! _ ” Lussuria firmly objected.

The next day, Hadrian was fired for suspicions of drug usage as well as creating a massive disturbance at his workplace. After drinking a twelve ounce cup of blended Lightning-infused kiwis and Storm-infused strawberries, the young man proceeded to take over a nearby kitchen by force where he not only cleaned and sterilized everything from top to bottom, but he also cooked an amazing buffet style lunch for everyone. Apparently, the combination of the two Flames enhanced some lingering childhood compulsions Hadrian never knew he had until that incident.

Maybe he should’ve listened to Lussuria after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a headcanon that Belphegor has secondary Cloud Flames. Just look at how many knives that boy uses! Where does he keep them all if he doesn’t have Cloud Flames?!
> 
> Monaciello: In Naples, Italy, there is a legend about a small fairy whose name means “the little monk” in Neopolitean language that takes the form of a short, thick man dressed in a monk’s robe and a large brimmed hat. They are said to haunt abandoned abbeys and monasteries and know the hidden underground passageways like the back of their hands. When they’re not playing small pranks on people as many fairies do, they appear before people who cannot receive aid by human means. They would silently try to lure the human to them. If the human chooses to follow, they would lead people to hidden treasure, expecting no repayment for their good deed. Rumor has it that a Monaciello living in one’s house can guarantee a sudden increase of good fortune. There’s even a neat little saying describing this phenomenon: “Forse avrà il Monaciello in casa" (perhaps he has had the little Monk in his house).
> 
> Ullio Wizarding Bank: I figured that if “Gringotts” was taken from the word, “ingots,” a piece of metal conveniently shaped for the purpose of shaping, remelting, or refining, why not I do the same? I went with “bullion,” precious metals in the form of ingots or bars, and snipped away the ends so it sounds Italian-ish…
> 
> ...I just Googled “Ullio” and found out it’s a legit surname… More worldbuilding potential anyone?
> 
> Oh, Hadrian… you shouldn’t have tempted fate by thinking “what’s the worst that could happen?” Remember the fruit in chapter 2... Lussuria is now regretting his decision to introduce Hadrian to his new favorite drink.
> 
> Once again, thank you blackkat1325 for editing this for me. See ya next draft~!
> 
> Thank you all for reading this reboot~! Any and all reviews, favorites, and follows are appreciated~! ( v￣▽￣)

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by [blackkat1325](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat1325/pseuds/blackkat1325)
> 
> Thank you all for reading this reboot~! Any and all comments, bookmarks, and subscriptions are appreciated~! ﾟ.+(〃ﾉωﾉ)ﾟ.+°


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